{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,17]],"date-time":"2026-04-17T11:32:01Z","timestamp":1776425521160,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,11,15]],"date-time":"2018-11-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1542240000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"CoMeD, Inc","award":["na"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["na"]}]},{"name":"Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc.","award":["na"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["na"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Toxics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Studies suggest a relationship between exposure to endocrine disrupters, such as mercury (Hg), and premature puberty. Hg exposure from Thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccine, administered at specific intervals within the first six months of life, and the child\u2019s long-term risk of being diagnosed with premature puberty (ICD-9 code: 259.1), was retrospectively examined, using a hypothesis-testing, longitudinal case-control design on prospectively collected data, in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD). Cases diagnosed with premature puberty were significantly more likely to have received increased exposure to Hg from hepatitis B vaccines preserved with Thimerosal given in the first month after birth (odds ratio (OR) = 1.803), first two months after birth (OR = 1.768), and first six months after birth (OR = 2.0955), compared to control subjects. When the data were separated by gender, the effects remained among females but not males. Female cases, as compared to female controls, were significantly more likely in a dose-dependent manner to have received a greater exposure to Hg from hepatitis B vaccines preserved with Thimerosal, given in the first six months after birth (OR = 1.0281 per \u00b5g Hg). The results of this study show a dose-dependent association between increasing organic Hg exposure from Thimerosal-containing hepatitis B vaccines administered within the first six months of life and the long-term risk of the child being diagnosed with premature puberty.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics6040067","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,11,15]],"date-time":"2018-11-15T11:32:47Z","timestamp":1542281567000},"page":"67","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Premature Puberty and Thimerosal-Containing Hepatitis B Vaccination: A Case-Control Study in the Vaccine Safety Datalink"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"David A.","family":"Geier","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA"},{"name":"CoMeD, Inc., 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0556-0384","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Janet K.","family":"Kern","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA"},{"name":"CoMeD, Inc., 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA"},{"name":"CONEM US Autism Research Group, 408 N. Allen Dr., Allen, TX 75013, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mark R.","family":"Geier","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA"},{"name":"CoMeD, Inc., 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,11,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"163","DOI":"10.1590\/2359-3997000000144","article-title":"Central precocious puberty: Revisiting the diagnosis and therapeutic management","volume":"60","author":"Brito","year":"2016","journal-title":"Arch. Endocrinol. 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