{"id":12389,"date":"2025-06-26T18:16:23","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T23:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/?post_type=jtf_topics&p=12389"},"modified":"2025-06-30T18:19:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T23:19:06","slug":"is-thimerosal-in-flu-shots-dangerous","status":"publish","type":"jtf_topics","link":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/jtf_topics\/is-thimerosal-in-flu-shots-dangerous\/","title":{"rendered":"Is thimerosal in flu shots dangerous?"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row source=”” text=”Clinical Trials” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” google_fonts=”font_family:Abril%20Fatface%3Aregular|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” link=”” css=”.vc_custom_1708910874436{border-top-width: 1px !important;border-right-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;border-left-width: 1px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Claim:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]Claims about thimerosal, including its mythological connection to autism, are gaining new life because of an\u00a0announced vote<\/a>\u00a0regarding thimerosal in influenza vaccines during the ACIP meeting.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_custom_heading text=”The Facts:” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text css=””]We know a lot now about\u00a0thimerosal<\/a>.\u00a0Thimerosal, a mercury compound used today in some flu vaccines, has caused concern due to its name being confused with a harmful type of mercury. Thimerosal contains ethylmercury, which is safe and quickly leaves the body. It\u2019s different from harmful methylmercury found in some fish. Thimerosal has been used safely in vaccines, drugs, and contact solutions since the 1930s. Nowadays, most vaccines use single-use vials, and thimerosal-free vaccines are available for those still concerned.<\/p>\n

To drum up concerns, vaccine opponents have to travel back in time and make dull government meetings look nefarious. Such is the case with Simpsonwood.<\/p>\n

The\u00a02000 Simpsonwood CDC conference<\/a>\u00a0was a two-day meeting organized by the CDC to discuss data from the\u00a0Vaccine Safety Datalink<\/a>\u00a0regarding the possible link between the mercury compound thimerosal in vaccines and neurological issues in vaccinated children. Attendees included experts in various fields, public health organizations, and pharmaceutical companies.<\/p>\n

The conference gained notoriety in the anti-vaccination movement when RFK Jr. wrote an article in 2005 alleging a conspiracy to withhold vaccine safety information. However, the article contained numerous factual errors, leading to its\u00a0retraction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In 2007, the\u00a0Senate HELP Committee<\/a>\u00a0reviewed the allegations against the CDC and found them to have little merit.\u00a0The committee found that the CDC did not interfere with vaccine safety studies, and the review groups did not rely on manipulated studies.<\/p>\n

Studies show that\u00a0thimerosal\u00a0<\/a>does\u00a0not<\/a>\u00a0increase\u00a0the\u00a0risk of\u00a0autism. In addition,\u00a0thimerosal has not even been used in childhood vaccines<\/a>\u00a0since 2001.<\/p>\n

Finally,\u00a0autism\u00a0diagnoses continued to rise following\u00a0the\u00a02001 removal of thimerosal from all childhood vaccines.\u00a0The\u00a0continued rise of\u00a0autism\u00a0diagnoses is, in fact, mostly due to growing\u00a0awareness<\/a>\u00a0and changing diagnostic criteria.<\/p>\n

Autism is linked to\u00a0genetics\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0prenatal development<\/a>, not vaccines. Studies show that if one identical twin has autism, there is a high chance the other twin will, too, even if they were never vaccinated. Research also shows that brain differences in autistic children start developing before birth, long before any vaccines are given. Scientists have studied many possible causes, and vaccines are not a possible cause.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thimerosal in flu shots isn\u2019t dangerous\u2014learn how it’s different from toxic mercury, what studies show, and why vaccines are not linked to autism or brain harm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"parent":0,"template":"","jtf_topic_subjects":[199,194,218],"class_list":["post-12389","jtf_topics","type-jtf_topics","status-publish","hentry","jtf_topic_subjects-childhood-vaccines","jtf_topic_subjects-vaccine-ingredients","jtf_topic_subjects-vaccine-safety","entry","no-media"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/12389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/jtf_topics"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/12389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12392,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topics\/12389\/revisions\/12392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"jtf_topic_subjects","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.voicesforvaccines.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/jtf_topic_subjects?post=12389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}