{"id":26,"date":"2026-11-06T09:06:21","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T09:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthcare.hibisports.com\/?p=26"},"modified":"2026-11-06T09:06:21","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T09:06:21","slug":"thimerosal-will-be-removed-from-flu-shots-is-it-actually-toxic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthcare.hibisports.com\/?p=26","title":{"rendered":"Thimerosal Will Be Removed From Flu Shots. Is It Actually Toxic?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has adopted a recommendation to remove thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, from all influenza vaccines in the United States.\n<\/p>\n

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A 2025 advisory panel for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) made the recommendation, even though there’s no clear evidence of harm and most flu shots in the U.S. are free of thimerosal.\n<\/p>\n

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What Is Thimerosal and Why Is It Used in Vaccines? <\/span> <\/h2>\n

Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative used to prevent bacterial growth in multi-dose vials of vaccines and medicines.\n<\/p>\n

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Decades ago, some reports raised concerns about thimerosal’s potential link to developmental and cognitive issues in children, including autism.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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No actual studies confirm the link, but thimerosal was removed from most vaccines in 1999 \u201cout of an abundance of caution,\u201d said Robert Hopkins Jr, MD<\/a>, medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.\n<\/p>\n

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Nearly all vaccines are available in thimerosal-free versions<\/a>. About 94% of the U.S. flu vaccine supply does not contain thimerosal;<\/span> those that do are typically found in multi-dose vials used in some rural clinics.\n<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe data has consistently shown that thimerosal is not harmful in the tiny amounts previously used, and today, most patients can easily avoid vaccines that contain it,\u201d Hopkins said.\n<\/p>\n

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Is Thimerosal Safe? <\/span> <\/h2>\n

There are two types of mercury. Methylmercury, which is found in some fish, can be harmful to humans in high doses. Ethylmercury\u2014the type used in thimerosal\u2014is cleared from the body more quickly, making it less likely to cause any harm.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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The CDC states that thimerosal has a strong safety record in medical products, and multiple studies have found no evidence of harm from the low doses used in vaccines.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis fact was definitively determined years ago, and the FDA, the CDC, and many academic institutions have excellent reviews of the safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines in children. Raising this topic now has only one purpose\u2014to sow distrust in vaccines in general and in the process to determine vaccine safety,” James Campbell, MD, MS, FAAP<\/a>, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases, said in a statement<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n

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Hopkins said chemical ingredients in vaccines<\/a> have long been a focus of anti-vaccine messaging. He often tells concerned patients that while many chemicals are potential toxins, what matters is the amount. \u201cWe all know we need iron, but if we get too much, it\u2019s damaging,\u201d he added.\n<\/p>\n

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Only one new member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted against the recent recommendation on thimerosal.\n<\/p>\n

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H. Cody Meissner, MD<\/a>, a professor of pediatrics at the Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, said during the panel, \u201cThe ACIP makes recommendations based on scientific evidence as much as possible\u2026 and there is no scientific evidence that thimerosal has caused a problem.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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