Limiting Infant Exposure to Thimerosal in Vaccines and Other Sources of Mercury
- Neal A. Halsey, MD
- Author Affiliation: Institute for Vaccine Safety, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, Md.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
In late June of this year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revealed that some infants who receive multiple doses of vaccines containing thimerosal could be exposed to total amounts of mercury that exceed some federal guidelines.1 Thimerosal is a mercury-containing preservative used in some Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), diphtheria and tetanus toxoids with acellular pertussis (DTaP), hepatitis B, influenza, and other vaccines.2 Federal agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), international agencies, and vaccine manufacturers have responded quickly to address the concern.1, 3, 5 However, more can be done to maintain public confidence in vaccines and to reduce childhood exposures to mercury from all sources.
Some confusion has occurred because of uncertainty regarding the applicability of guidelines for long-term exposures to methylmercury from environmental sources to intermittent exposures to ethylmercury, a breakdown product from thimerosal. Based on the limited data available, experts have …
