Thimerosal and Mercury
Thimerosal is a preservative that contains a form of mercury.
Thimerosal was used in very small amounts for over 50 years as a preservative in
some vaccines and to protect vaccines from bacterial contamination. Some
parents, researchers, and others have voiced concerns about a potential link
between health problems, particularly autism, and vaccines containing
thimerosal. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) there is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the small amounts of
thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor effects like swelling and redness at
the infection site due to sensitivity to thimerosal.
In July 1999, the Federal government asked vaccine manufacturers to work
towards eliminating or reducing the use of thimerosal, a preservative which
contains small amounts of mercury, in any products currently available on the
market. Today, none of the vaccines used in the U.S. to protect
preschool children against 11 infectious diseases contain thimerosal as a
preservative. These include vaccines that protect against
measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis
(whooping cough), influenza type b (Hib), polio, and pneumococcal disease.
The following resources provide more information regarding thimerosal and
vaccines.
Check out thimerosal legislation at NCSL's 2004 Immunization
Legislation
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