New results about toxicity of thimerosal

The group compared the systemic disposition and brain distribution of total and inorganic mercury in infant monkeys following thimerosal exposure with infants exposed to MeHg. The initial and terminal half-life of Hg in blood following thimerosal exposure was 2.1 and 8.6 days, which are significantly shorter than the elimination half-life of Hg following methylmercury exposure at 21.5 days. Brain concentrations of total mercury were significantly lower by ~3-fold for the thimerosal-exposed infants when compared to the methylmercury infants and a higher percentage of the total mercury in the brain was in the form of (less toxic) inorganic mercury for the thimerosal-exposed infants (34% vs 7%).

 

This study indicates that methylmercury is not a suitable reference for risk assessment from exposure to thimerosal derived mercury. Toxicokinetics and developmental toxicity of thimerosal itself have to be studied to afford a meaningful assessment of the effects of thimerosal-containing vaccines.

 

Until such data is available, the current debate linking the use of thimerosal in vaccines to autism and other developmental disorders (IOM 2001, 2004) will probably continue (see news below).

 

 Thomas M. Burbacher, Danny D. Shen, Noelle Liberato, Kimberly S. Grant, Elsa Cernichiari, and Thomas Clarkson, Comparison of Blood and Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal, Environ. Health Perspect., 113/8 (2005) 1015-1021. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.7712

 

 

Related News:

 

In These Times, November 11, 2003:  Eli Lilly and Thimerosal
In These Times, November 11, 2003: Autism in a Needle?

OpEdNews, July 29, 2005: Autism - Cut The Crap

 American Council on Science and Health, August 26, 2005: Autistic Boy Dies After Chelation Therapy
Free Market News Network, March 2, 2006:  Non-Mercury vaccines cut autism
Kearney hub, March 7, 2006: Differing view on mercury in vaccines 
Milford Daily News, March 7, 2006: Report: Government knew of autism link
The Huffington Post, November 15,2006: The Other Secret Bush Court?

Related EVISA News (newest first)




last time modified: October 13, 2024