Now Marta gets hers without it. She didn't have the swelling she normally gets, so she thinks she might have the allergy too. Please read the 2 very different opinions below.
http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm096228#thi
Thimerosal as a Preservative
Thimerosal, which is approximately 50% mercury by weight, has been one of the most widely used preservatives in vaccines. It is metabolized or degraded to ethylmercury and thiosalicylate. Ethylmercury is an organomercurial that should be distinguished from methylmercury, a related substance that has been the focus of considerable study (see "Guidelines on Exposure to Organomercurials" and "Thimerosal Toxicity", below).
At concentrations found in vaccines, thimerosal meets the requirements for a preservative as set forth by the United States Pharmacopeia; that is, it kills the specified challenge organisms and is able to prevent the growth of the challenge fungi (U.S. Pharmacopeia 2004). Thimerosal in concentrations of 0.001% (1 part in 100,000) to 0.01% (1 part in 10,000) has been shown to be effective in clearing a broad spectrum of pathogens. A vaccine containing 0.01% thimerosal as a preservative contains 50 micrograms of thimerosal per 0.5 mL dose or approximately 25 micrograms of mercury per 0.5 mL dose.
Prior to its introduction in the 1930's, data were available in several animal species and humans providing evidence for its safety and effectiveness as a preservative (Powell and Jamieson 1931). Since then, thimerosal has been the subject of several studies (see Bibliography) and has a long record of safe and effective use preventing bacterial and fungal contamination of vaccines, with no ill effects established other than minor local reactions at the site of injection.
While the use of mercury-containing preservatives has declined in recent years with the development of new products formulated with alternative or no preservatives, thimerosal has been used in some immune globulin preparations, anti-venins, skin test antigens, and ophthalmic and nasal products, in addition to certain vaccines. Under the FDA Modernization Act of 1997, the FDA compiled a list of regulated products containing mercury, including those with thimerosal (Federal Register 1999). It is important to note that this list was compiled in 1999; some products listed are no longer manufactured and many products have been reformulated without thimerosal. Updated lists of vaccines and their thimerosal content can be found in Table 1 (routinely recommended pediatric vaccines) and Table 3 (expanded list of vaccines).
OR this opinion..
http://focusautisminc.org/what-is-autism/?gclid=CjwKEAjww8eiBRCE7qvK9Z7W_DgSJABfOjf2MJjo-u2llQpc9ttpLT15xKlwCdusPz_DDLlcwbUtkhoCfNTw_wcB#mercury
Mercury
MERCURY and AUTISM
By examining the past, we can clearly see how increased exposure to the dangerous preservative thimerosal through vaccines contributed to the autism epidemic.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disability. Until 2004, thimerosal, a preservative that is 50% mercury by weight, was used in almost all childhood vaccines. This chemical is a proven neurotoxin.
The Origin of Autism
The first cases of autism were diagnosed in children born during the 1930′s, when the first vaccines containing thimerosal hit the market. The only study to test thimerosal’s safety had been done on just 22 patients, all of whom died of meningitis soon after the testing was completed. Further animal studies determined that thimerosal should not be used in veterinary vaccinations due to its toxicity. Despite these findings, vaccine manufacturers did not remove it from their products intended for babies. Vaccination schedules laden with thimerosal continued to expand. Thimerosal and Autism Timeline by A Shot of Truth.
By the 1980′s, pharmaceutical companies were paying so much money in damages for vaccine injuries that they threatened to stop producing vaccines altogether. In 1986, a law was passed by congress in order to protect the vaccine program.
As a result of the new law, those injured by a vaccine could no longer sue the makers of the product that injured them. Our government was now responsible to compensate all vaccine injuries through it’s own ‘Vaccine Court’. Soon after, pharmaceutical companies added vaccines for 4 new diseases, with 10 extra shots added before age 1, and these vaccines were given earlier in life than ever before.
Due to safety concerns, complete removal of all thimerosal from childhood vaccines was recommended in 1999. DTaP and Hib vaccines, however, are still manufactured using thimerosal, which is reportedly removed at the end of the process. Trace amounts, as much as 1 mcg, still remain in these shots.
Thimerosal in Vaccines Today
Despite IOM recommendations to remove all thimerosal from vaccines, today, infants as young as 6 months old are still receiving mercury in the form of thimerosal with their annual flu shots at levels thousands of times higher than EPA safe limits. Although never tested for safety in pregnant women, these same mercury-preserved flu shots are also recommended during all trimesters of pregnancy.
“Apparently the medical profession does not read the safety data sheets provided by Lilly and other chemical manufacturers made available to physicians, pharmacies, hospitals and health departments. It states for thimerosal: toxic, mutagen, allergen, hypersensitivity, alters genetic materials, may cause mild to severe mental retardation, may cause mild to severe motor coordination, all sounds a lot like autism.” Dr. Frank Engley
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