Fortunately, the amount of formaldehyde found in vaccines is very small, most of it being diluted down to residual amounts during the manufacturing process.
In fact, the FDA reports there is 50 to 70 times more formaldehyde present in an average newborn's body than in a single dose of vaccine.
In brief, current science shows formaldehyde in vaccines to be harmless. The highest amount of formaldehyde present in any vaccine is. An average two-month-old baby would have around 1. Aluminum Why is it used? Aluminum is used as an adjuvant in vaccines. That is, it makes them more effective by strengthening the immune system response. Thanks to adjuvants, people need fewer doses of vaccine to build immunity.
Sometimes the mention of aluminum in vaccines makes parents uneasy; that's because there has been some evidence that long-term exposure to high amounts of aluminum can contribute to brain and bone disease.
However, aluminum is naturally present in water, foods, even breast milk. Aluminum has only been shown to harm people if absorbed in very high amounts and when a person's kidneys aren't working properly. In contrast, the amount of aluminum in vaccines is negligible. Aluminum is the third most common naturally-occurring element, after oxygen and silicon. It is found in plants, soil, air, and water. A breast-fed infant will naturally ingest around 7 milligrams of aluminum in her diet throughout the first six months of her life.
In contrast, the standard vaccines administered over the first six months of an infant's life contain an average of just 4. It has also been demonstrated that the elimination of mercury in children was much faster than what was expected on the basis of studies conducted with methyl mercury originating from food.
Recently, the hypothesis that mercury contained in vaccines could be the cause of autism and other neurological developmental disorders created a new debate in the medical community and the general public. To date, none of the epidemiological studies conducted in Europe and elsewhere support this assumption.
Although any effort should be made to avoid useless exposure of vaccinees to a potentially toxic compound, it should be emphasized that 1 public communication on this issue has led to a decrease in the hepatitis B vaccination coverage of children born to HBs Ag positive mothers in the US; 2 this issue was not really relevant in France where until , apart from two hepatitis B vaccines, all childhood vaccines were thiomersal-free, and 3 in developing countries using multidose vaccine vials, moving to thiomersal-free vaccines in unidose presentations would represent such an incremental cost that millions of children would no more have access to vaccination.
JAMA ; The authors evaluated the incidence of autism in children born in Denmark between who received either thimerosal-containing vaccines or thimerosal-free preparations of the same vaccine.
They found that the incidence of autism or autistic spectrum disorders did not differ significantly between the two groups. Materials in this section are updated as new information and vaccines become available. The Vaccine Education Center staff regularly reviews materials for accuracy.
You should not consider the information in this site to be specific, professional medical advice for your personal health or for your family's personal health. You should not use it to replace any relationship with a physician or other qualified healthcare professional.
For medical concerns, including decisions about vaccinations, medications and other treatments, you should always consult your physician or, in serious cases, seek immediate assistance from emergency personnel. Vaccine Ingredients — Thimerosal. Contact Us Online. Evidence that mercury doesn't cause autism Despite concerns, several studies have now proven that thimerosal in vaccines did not cause autism: A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in by Paul Stehr-Green found that more children in Sweden and Denmark were diagnosed with autism after removal of thimerosal from vaccines in those countries.
Kreesten Madsen reviewed the medical record of 1, autistic children diagnosed between and and found that despite removal of thimerosal from vaccines, the incidence of autism diagnoses increased between and The study was published in Pediatrics in Similarly, Anders Hviid studied Danish children between and and found that the number of children with autism increased after thimerosal was removed from vaccines.
This study was published in in the Journal of the American Medical Association. A study of more than 14, children in the United Kingdom found no evidence of increased autism relative to exposure to thimerosal. The study, by Jon Heron, was published in in the journal Pediatrics. Another study in the same issue of Pediatrics by Nick Andrews studied the records of more than , children who received different amounts of thimerosal and did not find evidence that exposure to thimerosal led to neurodevelopmental disorders.
In the Institute of Medicine IOM reviewed more than studies related to thimerosal and autism. They concluded that there was no relationship to cause concern. A study published in by Eric Fombonne looked at 28, children born in Canada between and , a period during which there were varied amounts of thimerosal contained in recommended vaccines.
Fombonne's study, published in Pediatrics , also concluded no relationship between quantity of thimerosal a child was exposed to and development of autism. The study compared results of 40 separate tests performed on 1, children exposed to thimerosal-containing vaccines and again, found no link between quantities of thimerosal and development of autism. Schechter and Grether published a study of rates of autism diagnosed in California between and and found that despite removal of thimerosal from vaccines, rates of autism have continued to increase.
The study was published in Archives of General Psychiatry. In addition, several other pieces of information add to the reassurance provided by these studies: In Iraq imported grain that had been fumigated with methylmercury.
Farmers ate bread made from this grain. The result was one of the worst, single-source, mercury poisonings in history. Methylmercury in the grain caused the hospitalization of 6, Iraqis and killed Pregnant women also ate the bread and delivered babies with epilepsy and mental retardation.
But they didn't deliver babies with an increased risk of autism. Studies of the head size, speech patterns, vision, coordination and sensation of children poisoned by mercury show that the symptoms of mercury poisoning are clearly different from the symptoms of autism.
Minus Related Pages. Questions and Concerns. Thimerosal prevents the growth of bacteria in vaccines. The human body eliminates thimerosal easily.
Thimerosal has been shown to be safe when used in vaccines. There are some side effects of thimerosal in vaccines. Scientific research does not show a connection between thimerosal and autism. Thimerosal was taken out of childhood vaccines in the United States in Related Links.
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