“Thimerosal (mercury) use in medical products has a record of being very safe. Data from many studies show no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines.” –CDC website
“You couldn’t even construct a study that shows thimerosal is safe. It’s just too darn toxic. If you inject thimerosal into an animal, its brain will sicken. If you apply it to living tissue, the cells die. If you put it in a petri dish, the culture dies. Knowing these things, it would be shocking if one could inject it into an infant without causing damage.”- Dr. Boyd Haley, mercury toxic expert, retired head of chemistry department at University of Kentucky
“We have found statistically significant relationships between exposure [to mercury vaccines] and outcomes. At two months of age, developmental delay; exposure at three months, tics; at six months, attention deficit disorder. Exposure at one, three and six months, language and speech delays- the entire category of neurodevelopmental delays.” – Dr. Tom Veerstaeten, CDC epidemiologist
“The CDC’s ACIP does not preferentially recommend vaccines that do not contain thimerosal for any populations.” – CDC website
Do Vaccines Exceed Regulated Mercury Limits?
The EPA’s Reference Dose (RfD) for methylmercury exposure is 0.1 microgram per kilogram body weight per day (link).
A 6 month baby that weighs 7 kg could receive 12-25 mcg of mercury with the multi-dose flu shot, receiving 17-35x more mercury (12/.7 or 25/.7) in a multi-dose flu shot than the EPA recommended limit.
Are Vaccines Considered Hazardous Waste?
“The US EPA limits mercury in drinking water to 2 ppb. Liquids with 200 ppb are classified as hazardous waste. Vaccines with “trace” amounts of thimerosal contain 600 ppb.” (see vaccines that still contain trace amounts of mercury below) Flu shots contain mercury at 25,000 and 50,000 pbb. (1)
The mercury in some flu vaccines can be 125-250x above the legal classification of hazardous waste.
The Troubled History of Mercury in the United States
1980’s, FDA advisory Review Panel concluded that Thimerosal is not safe for over-the-counter topical drugs.
1990, Thimerosal was classified by California’s EPA (OEHHA) as a human reproductive toxin that also effects pregnant mothers and their offspring. FDA, NIH and CDC urged manufactures to remove thimerosal from ingredients in topical medications.
1990’s, CDC increased recommended childhood vaccines. The mercury in these recommended vaccines- from birth to 6 months- had 87x more methylmercury than FDA guides for adults per day. Mercury dose from CDC recommended vaccines increased from 100mcg in the the 80’s to over 237.5 mcg by 6 months. Link
1997, “Congress instructed the FDA to evaluate the human exposure to mercury through drugs and foods. Through this Congressionally mandated evaluation, the FDA realized that the amount of ethylmercury infants were exposed to in the first six months of life through their mandatory vaccinations exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) limit for a closely associated compound methylmercury.”
1998, Thimerosal topical OCD were finally banned.
1999, FDA findings show childhood vaccines contain levels of mercury that exceed safe levels set by the FDA.
1999, “We must keep in mind that the dose of ethylmercury was not generated by ‘rocket science’: conversion of the percentage of thimerosal to actual mcg of mercury involves ninth grade algebra. What took the FDA so long to do the calculations? Why didn’t CDC and the advisory bodies do these calculations when they rapidly expanded the childhood immunization schedule?” -Peter Patriarca, director of the FDA Division of Viral Products and FDA liaison to the AAP Committee on Infectious Disease. July 2, 1999
1999, The CDC, FDA, AAP and HRSA make a joint statement calling for the removal of thimerosal from childhood vaccines.
1999, The AAP and HRSA make a joint statement calling for the removal of thimerosal. Part of the statement read, “The large risks of not vaccinating children far outweigh the unknown and probably much smaller risk, if any, of cumulative exposure to to Thimerosal-containing vaccines over the first 6 months of live. Nevertheless… thimerosal vaccines should be removed as soon as possible. Link
1999, SmithKline offered to remove thimerosal immediately. “If CDC were basing its decision on safety alone, it would have taken SmithKline up on its offer. That’s a no-brainer, so there were other considerations. Immediate withdrawal would send a strong message. “We messed up!” I don’t think they wanted to send that message to parents, the public, or those considering legal action.” Anonymous Federal Health Official (3)
2000, “My mandate … is to make sure at the end of the day that 100,000,000 are immunized … this year, next year and for many years to come … and that will have to be with thimerosal-containing vaccines.” John Clements, World Health Organization, CDC called meeting.
2000, “Inappropriate to continue exposing infants to amounts of mercury that exceed Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, which are based on careful scientific studies and established principles for toxic exposures. Infants in less than the fifth percentile in weight for age who received all thimerosal-containing vaccines would be exposed to cumulative amounts of mercury exceeding those in the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry guidelines.” –Neal A. Halsey, MD, John Hopkins
1999-2003, Thimerosal “as a preservative” is slowly phased out of childhood US vaccines. The CDC shows no preference for thimerosal-free vaccines during that time. Thimerosal reduced vaccines do not became mercury free until 2007, Pediarix DTaP, Energix Hep B. (13) Five childhood vaccines still contain trace amounts of mercury. See below.
2000’s, Aluminum amounts increased in CDC vaccine schedule by 20% since thimerosal phased out. ( Hep A, rotavirus, pneumococcus, HPV, OPV to IPV).
2002, CDC recommended thimerosal-flu shots for everyone older than 6 months, including pregnant women in the first trimester. A baby born in 2002, due to flu shots, could still be exposed to over 112.5 mcg of mercury by age six and over 225 mcg of mercury by age 10.(14)
2002, “No published studies to date have compared the incidence of neurodevelopmental delay in children who received thimerosal-free or thimerosal-containing vaccines.” Yet, the article goes on to explain why mercury was safe for children. Pediatrics December 2003, 112 (6) 1394-1397
2003, Congressional committee, found evidence that Thimerosal did pose a risk and “our public health agencies failure to act is indicative of institutional malfeasance for self-protection and misplaced protectionism of the pharmaceutical industry.” (8)
2003, CDC sponsored epidemiological study by Thomas Verstraeten using data from Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) published in Pediatrics, showing no connection between thimerosal and neurodevelopment disorders. Upon later request from Geiers for VSD data, CDC claimed the original data had not been maintained (lost or destroyed.)
2006, American Nurses Association issued a position statement “insists that pharmaceutical companies develop technology to produce seasonal influenza vaccine without using thimerosal as a preservative and cease using thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines immediately.” (119)
2006, the State of California banned Thimerosal vaccines to children under 3yrs and pregnant women, with the exception of the influenza vaccine, for which mercury can not exceed 1 mcg per .5 ml dose.
2008, Geiers conducts study with VSD data and shows increase neurological disorders with 100mcg exposure to mercury.
2010, data by Abt Associates show a highly statistical signfigiant increase in the risk for regressive autism , with as little as 16 mcg of Thimerosal (8mcg of ethyl mercury), derived from material flu shots during pregnancy. That’s a 773 percent increase in regressive autism in children whose mother takes the CDC recommended flu shot. (15) Geiers study also shows prenatal risk to flu shot. (96)
2020, “Infants born to women who were poisoned with methylmercury had developmental abnormalities and cerebral palsy.”- CDC website, 2020 (11)
2020, the multi dose flu vaccine is still being recommended to pregnant women (25 mcg/dose) and babies 6mo and older (12.5mcg). For 6 month olds, that’s still 17x more mercury than the FDA recommended limit.
Mercury in US Vaccines, 2020
“Today, except for some flu vaccines in multi-dose vials, NO recommended childhood vaccines contain thimerosal as a preservative.”- CDC website
Other statements by the CDC clarify that Thimerosal is still in four other recommended childhood vaccines. See CDC statements in resources (11). John Hopkins mercury vaccine list.
| Vaccine | Brand | Approved Ages | Mercury | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTaP | Tripedia | 2mo | * | Aventis/ Sanfori |
| DTaP-hib | TriHIBit | 2mo | * | Sanofi Pasteur |
| DT | generic | 2mo | ** | Sanofi Pasteur |
| Meningococcal | Menomune-ACYW135 | 2mo | 24.5 | Sanofi Pasteur |
| Japanese Encephalitis | JE-Vax | 2mo | 0.007% | Sanofi Pasteur |
| Influenza | 6mo & older | 12mcg-25mcg | Seqirus, ID Biomedical, sanofi pasteur | |
| Td | TDVAX | 7+ yrs | * | MassBiologics |
| Td | Decavac | 7+ yrs | * | Aventis/ Sanfori |
**”Each 0.5-milliliter (mL) dose of DT (Sanofi Pasteur) … contains a trace amount of thimerosal (not as a preservative) from the manufacturing process [≤0.3 micrograms (μg) mercury/dose].” link
Mercury conversion: A vaccine containing 0.01% thimerosal as a preservative contains 50 micrograms of thimerosal per 0.5 ml dose or approximately 25 micrograms of mercury per 0.5 mL dose. link
What Does Trace Amounts of Mercury Mean?
Trace amounts of mercury is considered 1 mcg or less per dose by the CDC. (link) CDC and other vaccine authorities consider trace amount “equivalent to thimerosal- free products” stating the conclusions that “these amounts have no biological effect.” JAMA 1999;282 and JAMA 2000;283. Yet, there have been over 165 studies that examine the effects of thimerosal and show it to be harmful. Some studies have found harmful biological effects with very low doses of mercury exposure, less than 12 mcg. (See study by Goth below.)
Scientific Studies of Thimerosal, Neurological Incidents, Ethylmercury vs Methylmercury
Thimerosal’s relation to autism, brain damage, mitochondria dysregulation
“In February 2017, Robert Kennedy Jr’s Children’s Health Defense collected 89 peer-reviewed published articles linking autism, mercury and thimerosal.”
Link; Other sources
Infant rats injected with thimerosal showed similar damage seen in human autistic brains. Duszcczyk-Budathok, M., et al., “Administration of Thimerosal to Infant Rats Increases Overflow of Glutamate and Aspartate in Prefrontal Cortex,” Neurochemistry Research 37:436, 2012.
Baby rats injected with 4 doses of thimerosal, equivalent by weight to what babies receive in vaccinations, showed brain damage resulting from degeneration of neurons, glia cells and blood vessels in the hippocampus, cerebellum and ischemic degeneration of neurons in the prefrontal and temporal cortices. Olczak, M., et al., “Lasting Neuropathological Changes in the Rat Brain after Neonatal Administration of Thimerosal.” Folia Neuropathologica 48:258, 2010.
Boys that received mercury containing Hep B vaccines were 9x more likely to become developmentally disabled. Gallagher C, Goodman M. Hepititis B triple series vaccine and developmental disability in US children aged 1-9. Toxic Environ Chem 2008 Sep-Oct; 90(5):997-1008.
Thimerosal damages dendritic cells of brain and spinal cord, causes excessive inflammatory cytokines, promotes brain inflammation, and inhibits oxidative phosphorylation. Very low doses of ethylmercury uncouple RyR1 channel complex, “raising questions about genetic susceptibility of the immune system to mercury.” Goth, S., et al., “Uncoupling of ATP-Mediated Calcium Signaling and Dysregulated Interleukin-6 Secretion in Dendritic Cells by Nanomolar Thimerosal,” EnvironHealth Perspects 114:1083, July 2006. Link
SurveyUSA an independent research firm used over 17,000 children to compare vaccines with neurological disorders. Findings: vaccinated boys were 112 % more likely to have autism, 158% more likey to have an neurological disorder and 317% more likely to have ADHD, than unvaccinated boys. Vaccinated children were 120% more likely to have asthma. Handley, JB. “Cal-Oregon unvaccinated survey.” Generation Rescue (June 26, 2007) www. generation rescue.org/survey.html
Children with autism were significantly more likely to have had mothers injected with thimerosal-containing Rho-(D) immune globulin during pregnancy. Geier, DA, Geier, MR. A prospective study of thimerosal-containing Rho(D) immune globulin administration as a risk factor for autistic disorders. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 2007 May; 20(5): 385-90.
Mercury in childhood vaccines can cause early puberty, consistent with the known effects of mercury as an endocrine disrupter. Geier DA, Young HA, et al. “Thimerosal exposure and increasing trends of premature puberty in the vaccine safety data link.” Indian J Med Res 2010 April:131: 500-507.
Russian study showed that adults given less mercury than in childhood vaccines suffered brain damage years later. Kennedy, R.F. “Deadly Immunity” Common Dreams News Center (June 21, 2005)
Thimerosal exposure can cause hyper polarization and breakage of mitochondria membrane, loss of signal and shrinkage of cell. Sharpe, M., et all., “Thimerosal- Derived Ethylmercuy is a Mitochodria Toxin in Human Astocytes,” Journal of Toxicology 2012:373678, 2012 (online)
The Debate of Methylmercury vs Ethylymercury
Methylmercury vs Ethylymercury. A literature review on the effects of methyl mercury and ethylmercury show “there are many commonalities/similarities in the mechanisms of toxic action of methylmercury and ethylmercury (from thimerosal).” Risher, J., Tucker, P. “Alkyl Mercury-Induced Toxicity: Multiple Mechanisms of Action.” Springer International Publishing 2016. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, Volume 240, Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 240,
DOI 10.1007/398_2016_1
“Our results have shown that ethyl mercury is not completely harmeless for the first stage of life and may be responsible for poorer outcomes of psychomotor development in children.” Mrozek-Budzyn D, Majewska R, et al. “Neontal exposure to thimerosal from vaccines and child development in the first 3 years of life.” Neurotoxicol Teratol 2012 Nov-Dc; 34(6):592-97.
When given the same dosage, ethylmercury treated rats had greater renal damage and higher levels of inorganic mercury concentration in the brain, than methylmercury treated rats. Magos, L., et. al. “The comparative toxicology of ethyl- and methyl mercury.” Archives of Toxicology 1985; 57:260-67. link
Ethylmercury crosses the blood brain barrier more quickly than methylmercury, converting into inorganic mercury, both of which make it more toxic to the brain. Burbarcher, TM., et al. “Comparison of blood and brain levels in infant monkeys exposed to methylmercury or vaccines containing thimerosal.” EnvironHealth Perspect 2005; 113(8): 1015-21
Infants that had the least exposure to methylmercuy, but the highest exposure to vaccine ethylmercury had worst cumulative neurodevelopment scores. Dorea JG, Marques RC, Isejima C. “Neurodevelopment of Amazonian infants:antenatal and postnatal exposure to methyl- and ethyl mercury. J Biomed Biotechnol 2012; 2012:132876.
Conflicts of Interest
The six CDC sponsored studies that show thimerosal is safe have evidence of malfeasance and contradict independent scientists over 75 year period showing that thimerosal is harmful. Hooker B, Kerner J, et al. “Methodological issues and evidence of malfeasance in research purporting to show thimerosal in vaccines is safe.” BioMed Research International 2014; article ID 247218.
“Tell them I do not take the flu shot.” – Dr. Anthony Morris, Nation Institute of Health Scientist and researcher, Elite vaccine group at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the 50’s, eventually fired in the 80’s after continuing to critque vaccine program. Message to leave with the public.
“We know thimerosal causes tics. That’s been demonstrated in big studies. Tics are 5x more likely among kids with autism.”– Dr. William Thompson, Senior Vaccine Research Scientist, CDC
“Individual variability in susceptibility and limitations in our ability to measure subtle toxic effects.2 The ethylmercury in thimerosal is neurotoxic and in the absence of data to the contrary, experts agree that the potential toxicity from ethlymercury should be considered equivalent to that from methylmercury.” – Neal A Halsey, MD link
Sources
1) Miller’s Review of Critical Vaccine Studies, Neil Miller, pg, 39.
2) https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/patient-ed/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-thimerosal-color-office.pdf
3) Kennedy, RF. “Time for CDC to come clean.” Huffington Post, March 1 2006
(8) https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CREC-2003-05-21/html/CREC-2003-05-21-pt1-PgE1011-3.htm
(10) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096006/
(11) https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Mercury_FactSheet.html
12) CDC Statements: “Thimerosal is used as a preservative in multi-dose vials of flu vaccines, and in two other childhood vaccines, it is used in the manufacturing process… For two childhood vaccines, thimerosal is used to prevent the growth of microbes during the manufacturing process. When thimerosal is used this way, it is removed later in the process. Only trace (very tiny) amounts remain. The only childhood vaccines today that have trace amounts of thimerosal are one DTaP and one DTaP-Hib combination vaccine.”- CDC website (2). “There is one generic pediatric DT vaccine used in the United States. Each 0.5-milliliter (mL) dose of DT (Sanofi Pasteur) contains… trace amount of thimerosal (not as a preservative) from the manufacturing process…” (For children 7 and younger) -CDC link. “Each 0.5-mL dose of Td (MassBiologics) contains… trace amount of thimerosal (< 0.3 µg mercury/dose) (not as a preservative) from the manufacturing process.” (For children 7 and older)- CDC link “Note- one vaccine, Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoids Adsorbed, single-dose presentation, manufactured by Mass Biologics utilizes thimerosal as part of its manufacturing process, not as a preservative, and a trace remains in the final presentation” link
13) Kennedy, Thimerosal, 24
14) Kennedy 40
15) Brian S Hooker. Correspondence with book researchers. Kennedy 91.
