What Does The FDA Say About Thimerosal in Vaccines?
An FDA review concluded that the use of thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines might result in the intake of mercury during the first 6 months of life that exceeds the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but not the FDA, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), or the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for methylmercury intake. Thimerosal contains ethylmercury, but methylmercury is a related compound and has been more thoroughly researched than ethylmercury. The FDA concluded that they were one in the same and the toxicity of ethyl compound is equivalent to the methyl compound. In July of 1999 the Public Health Service agencies (PHS), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and vaccine manufacturers agreed that thimerosal levels in vaccines should be reduced or eliminated as a precautionary measure, and the FDA committed to expediting the review of new vaccines that do not contain thimerosal.
