There is an opportunity to participate in a study that measures a biomarker that is believed to be associated with exposure to heavy metals and the onset of autism. (This is my layman’s interpretation, so don’t laugh too hard ;-) The net of it is that you enhance the science around autism and that you get a test done for free that costs a very pretty penny (and is only done in France). More info below.

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Northwest Porphyrins Study Recruiting Participants

Caregivers invited to enroll neurotypical children and children with autism

Mercury and some other environmental toxins are known to cause elevated levels of metabolites in the urine called porphyrins. The purpose of this study is to determine if porphyrins are elevated in the urine of children with autism in comparison with neurotypical children of the same age. If we find that children with autism do have elevated porphyrin levels, we may be able to better identify environmental causes of autism and recommend additional treatment strategies for children with this disorder.

Eligibility Criteria:
Caregivers must be willing to collect urine samples from their children. Autistic and non-autistic children ages 2-12 years are needed; siblings are allowed to participate.

Compensation:

Porphyrin assay results will be provided for free to caregivers of all participants via e-mail at a future date.

How can I participate? Contact a coordinator to obtain a vial, consent form and instructions:
Caregivers are required to sign a consent form and obtain vials in person at pickup/drop-off locations in Seattle and Tacoma. Instructions are provided with the vial upon enrollment.
Once the vial is obtained, caregivers must complete a brief online registration (password and instructions are provided with vial at enrollment), collect first or second morning urine void, freeze the filled vial and return it (frozen) to a drop-off location.

Seattle:
Jason Allen ND, MPH – Co-Investigator
Seattle Integrative Medicine

5322 Roosevelt Way NE

Seattle, 98105

206-525-8012
drjnd at u.washington.edu

Tacoma/South Sound:
Denise Fulton, M.S. - Study Coordinator

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sat. Dec. 20th or Jan. 17th - table offered outside the meeting of Talk About Curing Autism – S. Campus Bates Technical College, 2201 S 78th St. Tacoma

denise at autism.com

Chief Investigator:

James S. Woods, Ph.D., Professor, DABT Director, Toxicology Program Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington

Funding and Support Provided by:
National Institutes of Health (NIH), Wallace Research Foundation, The Autism Research Institute (ARI)

View and print the study flyer:
http://autism.com/ari/woods-porphyrins/flyer.pdf

Jason Allen, N.D., M.P.H.
Senior Fellow
Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
University of Washington,

Seattle, WA, USA
drjnd at u.washington.edu