06/25/2005

Associated Press

Here are highlights of key decisions on thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, in vaccines.

July 1999. Joint statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Public Health Service:

"There is a significant safety margin incorporated into all the acceptable mercury exposure limits. Furthermore, there are no data or evidence of any harm caused by the level of exposure that some children may have encountered."

"Because any potential risk is of concern...thimerosal-containing vaccines should be removed as soon as possible."

July 1999. Surgeon General David Satcher:

"Vaccines...have been protecting our nation's children from deadly infectious diseases since our grandparent's generation....The risk of devastating childhood diseases from failure to vaccinate far outweighs the minimal, if any, risk of exposure to cumulative levels of mercury in vaccines."

June 2000. Joint statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Family Physicians, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the U.S. Public Health Service:

"There remains no convincing evidence of harm caused by low levels of thimerosal in vaccines."

Manufacturers should continue making new vaccines without thimerosal but "until an adequate supply of each vaccine is available, use of vaccines which contain thimerosal as a preservative is acceptable."

April 2001. Institute of Medicine:

Evidence is inadequate to accept or reject thimerosal as a cause of autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or speech delays. However, the hypothesis that they are linked is "biologically plausible."

May 2004. Institute of Medicine:

Neither thimerosal-containing vaccines nor MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine are associated with autism. Theories linking them lack supporting evidence. Future research to find the cause of autism should be directed toward more promising areas.

April 2005. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statement on new book by David Kirby, "Evidence of Harm":

"Today, with the exception of some influenza (flu) vaccines, none of the vaccines used in the U.S. to protect preschool children against 12 infectious diseases contain thimerosal as a preservative. Though some flu vaccines contain thimerosal as a preservative, preservative-free, reduced thimerosal-content influenza vaccines are also available for use in infants, with the supply expected to increase significantly for the coming next season."