Experts from New York’s University of Rochester Medical Center also found that this form of mercury in vaccines is eliminated from the blood much more quickly than scientists have previously believed.

They looked at the urine, blood and stools of 61 infants, 40 of whom received vaccines containing thimerosal and the remainder vaccines without the substance.

They discovered that most of the children had blood mercury levels of one or two nanograms per millilitre, with the highest level found to be 4.11 ng/ml.

This compares with the most stringent public safety limit, set by the US Environmental Protection Agency at 5.8 ng/ml – which is a small fraction of the amount that scientists believe could harm a child.

The team also found that children eliminate thimerosal mercury from the blood six times faster than data based on methyl mercury had predicted – mainly through their stools.

The compound’s half-life in the blood is six or seven days, compared to the 45 days that scientists had assumed.

This means that by the time a child receives its next round of vaccines containing mercury, virtually all of the compound from the previous doses will have been eliminated.

Dr Michael Pichichero, lead investigator of the study, called the results of the investigation “very reassuring”.

And he pointed out that, for cost reasons, switching to thimerosal-free vaccines would result in a failure to vaccinate millions of children in developing countries in which whooping cough, tetanus and measles are rife.

“Although America can afford to pay a higher price for newly formulated vaccines, much of the rest of the world cannot afford the increased cost of thimerosal-free vaccines. For them, it’s a critical issue of life and death,” Dr Pichichero added.

Source: University of Rochester Medical Center

© HMG Worldwide 2002
http://www.health-news.co.uk/