The Minnesota DailyâÄôs article âÄúLooking in on the autistic brainâÄù barely covers the issue of vaccines. It merely states that âÄúWith scientific evidence lacking, many parents blame vaccines for their childrenâÄôs autism.âÄù Parents may only see this line and turn to other studies. It would be wise to assure the reader that there is no link. The claim that vaccines and autism are linked has been thoroughly refuted by many studies. These have been conducted by multiple agencies including the FDA. In fact, one of the main concerns involving vaccines has been almost completely eliminated. This is the use of thimerosal that breaks down into ethyl mercury as a preservative in the vaccine. According to the FDA, only four remaining childhood vaccines contain any thimerosal. The most any one of these vaccines contains is a scant 25 micrograms. The FDA limits for mercury intake are measured in milligrams. These four listed vaccines can total up to 75.6 micrograms for full doses well under milligram measures. On top of that, adverse reactions to shots are rare. Many people like to associate the shot with autism due to the fact that autism begins to emerge at the same point as the first shots are given. It is obvious that the flu shot does not cause autism. Parents should be aware of this. If shots are not administered properly, outbreaks of previously defeated diseases may occur. Eric Bressler University undergraduate student