The federal government is considering recommending flu shots without thimerosal, a preservative used for decades. While thimerosal has been absent from most flu vaccines for nearly 20 years, the issue was addressed in a recent CDC advisory committee meeting. Despite thimerosal's safety record, the committee voted to recommend thimerosal-free vaccines for children, pregnant women, and adults. Critics, including some committee members, question the necessity of focusing on thimerosal given the greater risks posed by influenza itself.
"Thimerosal has been a target of groups that question vaccine safety, despite a long record of safe and effective use as a vaccine preservative, according to the FDA."
"It's sort of like they turned this meeting into solving a problem that doesn't really exist anymore," says Dr. Jesse Goodman, a former chief scientist at FDA who is now at Georgetown University.
"Of all the issues that ACIP needs to focus on, this is not a big issue," he said. "The risk from influenza is so much greater than the non-existent, as far as we know, risk from thimerosal."
"There is no scientific evidence that thimerosal has caused a problem," according to Dr. Meissner, the lone committee member to vote against the recommendations.
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