Thimerosal 271produced from mercury vapor, for reasons not yet understood. It is well docu-
mented in the scientific literature that exposure to mercury can elicit immune,
neurological, gastrointestinal, motor, sensory, and even behavioral dysfunctions
that mimic the symptoms of those seen in autistic individuals [52–55].
The use of organomercury in vaccines is a very contentious issue and it is
claimed by vaccine makers that thimerosal is no longer used in vaccines, espe-
cially in children’s vaccines [55]. However, there are always exceptions! In the
USA, it is claimed that the only exceptions among vaccines routinely recom-
mended for children are some formulations of the inactivated influenza vaccine
for children older than 2 years of age [52–55]. Several other children’s vaccines
also contain thimerosal, including DT, Td (tetanus and diphtheria), and TT
(tetanus toxoid). Some other vaccines contain supposedly traces of thimerosal,
according to the CDC [52–56]. The multi‐dose versions of the influenza vac-
cines Fluvirin and Fluzone also contain a large amount of thimerosal (i.e., 25 μg
of mercury per dose of thiemerosal) [53,54]. Also, several antisnake venom
vaccines (i.e., pit viper, coral snake, and black widow venom) contain a large
amount of thimerosal [55]. Outside North America and Europe, in the poorer
nations, the majority of the vaccines contain thimerosal [56,57]. The WHO has
concluded that there is no apparent toxicity from thimerosal in vaccines and
no reason on safety grounds to change to more expensive single‐dose adminis-
tration [57–59]. This means that the children of poorer nations are exposed to
factors potentially contributing to regressive autism and to the neurotoxicity of
organic mercury. Ironically, due to the lack of medical facilities, the adverse
effects are generally not noticeable or recorded and the WHO has backed away
from an earlier proposal of adding thimerosal in vaccines to the list of banned
compounds in a treaty aimed at reducing exposure to mercury worldwide.
The WHO has cited medical and scientific consensus that thimerosal in
vaccines posed no safety issues, but that eliminating the preservative in multi‐
dose vaccines, primarily used in developing countries, would lead to high cost
and a requirement for refrigeration which the developing countries can ill
afford [60]. It is possible that the WHO decision has been influenced by the
“Big Pharma”. Exposure to mercury in food or other ingestible forms has differ-
ent consequences and may not be as harmful, but direct injection of the com-
pound can have several serious consequences. The presence of thimerosal in
numerous vaccines has greatly eroded public confidence in vaccine safety and
efficacy, and trust in companies and agencies that manufacture or recommend
vaccines, and trust in the CDC which has reported safety of this chemical in
vaccines, particularly MMR vaccines. This has adversely changed some per-
ceptions around the need for vaccination, and has had significant adverse
impacts on vaccine uptake in specific populations. Recently, the documentary
“Vaxxed” has been widely viewed, and this has increased fears that both the US
government and the vaccine manufacturers are withholding the truth about
potential adverse effects of the MMR vaccine [61]. In our own research we