Child, other vaccines avoid mercury-based additive, but no sign it was harmful | Fact check

Nate Trela, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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A health worker administers a dose of COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic in Reading, Pa. On Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.

The claim: All vaccines contain deadly levels of mercury

A May 7 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows a man holding a vial of liquid he says is the vaccine preservative thimerosal.

“Mercury is in every (vaccine) killing you slowly,” reads the video's caption.

The video was liked more than 2,000 times in a week.

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Our rating: False

There are mercury-free formulations of most vaccines, including all of the recommended early childhood vaccines. While some vaccines contain the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, the mercury in the compound is safe and quickly metabolized by the body, according to experts.

Mercury-based preservative not in all vaccines

Thimerosal has been used in multi-dose vials of certain vaccines and medications for decades to prevent bacteria and fungi growth that could occur when a syringe is inserted into a vial.

But vaccine manufacturers and other groups agreed in 1999 to reduce or eliminate its use out of an abundance of caution, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The public had expressed concerns that exposure to the mercury contained in the vaccines could be connected to health issues.

“Even though the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines have shown no evidence of harm in many studies, there are preservative-free and thimerosal-free vaccine options for patients,” Karrine Brade, a clinical coordinator at the University of Colorado Hospital, told USA TODAY in an email.

Only a few vaccines still contain thimerosal. Since 2001, none of the recommended vaccines for children aged six or younger have contained thimerosal. And mercury-free versions of the flu vaccine are now available, Brade said. In addition, the MMR (Measles, mumps, and rubella), chickenpox (Varicella), inactivated polio (IPV) and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines never contained thimerosal.

Thimerosal is also not found in any of the COVID-19 vaccines.

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While medical groups began the push to remove thimerosal from vaccines in 1999, there is no evidence linking the preservative to health issues. A series of studies conducted on the health risks of thimerosal since its use was slashed showed no correlation with health issues. The health risks associated with thimerosal are much lower than other forms of mercury, according to the CDC.

The most common side effects from thimerosal are minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Lead Stories also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Studies found no risk from mercury-based vaccine additive | Fact check