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 Vol. 19 No. 5, May 2008
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AAP Grand Rounds 19:52-53 (2008)
© 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics

UNIFORM SERVICES/INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Thimerosal Vaccines and Mercury Blood Levels

Source: Pichichero ME, Gentile A, Giglio N, et al. Mercury levels in newborns and infants after receipt of thimerosal-containing vaccines. Pediatrics. 2008;121:e208–e214; doi:10.1542/peds.2006-3363[Abstract/Free Full Text]

The first 20% of the full text of this article appears below.


PICO

Question: Among infants, what is the half-life of ethyl mercury in the blood after immunization with thimerosal-containing vaccines?

Question type: Prognosis

Study design: Prospective, observational

 

Researchers from the US and Argentina conducted a study to assess blood levels and elimination of ethyl mercury after immunization of infants with thimerosal-containing vaccines.

The study was conducted in Buenos Aires, where thimerosal continues to be used as a preservative in infant vaccines. Healthy infants from three age cohorts (newborns, two-month-olds, and six-month-olds) were enrolled in the project. There were 72 in each age cohort for a total of 216 children enrolled.

All children received age-appropriate vaccines as routinely administered in Argentina. Samples of blood, urine, and stool were obtained on study children both before vaccination and at one randomly assigned time interval after vaccination, with time intervals after vaccination ranging from 12 hours to 30 days. Mercury pharmacokinetics were estimated based on a one-compartment model that averaged all . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Mike Dubik, MD, FAAP
Pediatrics, Naval Medical Center, San Diego, CA