Review: vaccines containing thimerosal are not associated with autistic spectrum disorders in children.

Study selection and analysis: Eligible studies examined a possible link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autistic spectrum or neurodevelopmental disorders, or reported the pharmacological characteristics of ethylmercury in humans. Data were extracted on study type, country of study, database or laboratory data examined, and bibliographical characteristics (author, journal, year of publication). Study methods were assessed by study design, type and size of study population, exposure and outcome definitions, validation of developmental diagnosis, sample size calculations, discussion of study power, and statistical methods.