For the past five years, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Public Health Service have joined forces in requesting the removal of all mercury-containing preservative thimerosal from vaccines. However, now for the first time, recommendations have been given to 6- to 23-month-old children to get annual flu vaccines and the recommendations didn’t include mercury-free forms of vaccines.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) reasoning behind this was that they felt the risk of contracting the flu and facing health complications greatly outweighed any of the potential risks from thimerosal in the vaccines. The CDC also stated that there hasn’t been any scientific evidence of harm from exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines.

Since the 1930s, thimerosal, which is filled with 49.6 percent mercury, has been used in vaccines to control bacteria and fungi.

Both parents and watchdog groups have shown increasing concern over the risks of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders as a result of being exposed to mercury. Opposition from other groups against the vaccine has motivated Congress to form a bill, which banned thimerosal from all vaccines.

Other experts said that the cost of mercury-free vaccines was higher than the thimerosal-containing vaccines and that a removal of thimerosal-containing vaccines could result in wasting one-third of the doses that have already been produced.

Although a major assessment of thimerosal didn’t prove or disprove any conclusive evidence on the safety of thimerosal, experts agreed that it should be removed from the vaccines recommended for infants, children and pregnant women.

One pediatrician stated that he planned on giving the flu vaccine to younger children, however would definitely choose the thimerosal-free vaccine over the thimerosal-containing vaccine.

An expert from "PROVE"(Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education) claimed that from the 90 to 100 million flu vaccines that will be produced for this fall, only 6 to 8 million would be available without mercury.

The expert also stated that adding this vaccine to the series of vaccines for children was just a way for the vaccine companies to cover their backs. For example, if the vaccine injured someone, the law would prevent people from being able to directly sue the manufacturer for injuries.

The law would also require them to take part in the long and tedious process of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, which throws most cases out without any compensation.

CIDRAP News May 6, 2004