Safety of flu vaccine questioned - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Tom Walker/Washington Bureau Chief

Washington D.C., Jan. 12 - It has been a nagging issue for a number of years. Can children be hurt by the mercury-derivative Thimerosal, which has been used as a preservative in a number of vaccines?

Barbara Loe Fisher with the Vaccine Info Center says there is little dispute that mercury is something to be avoided. "Mercury is a known neurotoxin, it's known to be toxic to the brain."

A suspected link between Thimerosal and autism in children has mobilized parents and some lawmakers, including Indiana's Dan Burton, who believes mercury-containing vaccines had a frightening impact on his own grandson. "He flapped his arms, ran around banging his head against the wall, lost his ability to communicate."

Flu vaccines now being given children do contain varying amounts of Thimerosal. Is it dangerous?

Pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly and Company, which once made the ingredient, argue the most recent evidence says no. Lilly Chairman Sidney Taurel says, "Two major studies which have come out showing that there was no evidence of correlation between autism and Thimerosal."

Says the US Centers for Disease Control, "There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the small doses of Thimerosal in vaccines."

But some critics remain unconvinced.

Florida Congressman Dave Weldon, himself a doctor, has proposed banning Thimerosal from all vaccines. "I have two kids, a five-year-old and a 17-year-old and I would not give either of them those vaccines that contain mercury."

While the government says there is no risk from Thimerosal in flu vaccines, it says some do contain less of it than others to the point they are considered preservative-free.

The downside is those vaccines may be the hardest to find.

The CDC has information on which flu vaccines are lowest in mercury.