Can you have it both ways? This is the first year that California banned the mercury-based preservative known as thimerosal from vaccines given to pregnant women and children younger than 3 years old.Thimerosal, a compound that is 49.6 percent ethyl mercury by weight, has been used as a preservative in some vaccines and other pharmaceutical products since the 1930s. Its purpose is to prevent fungal and bacterial contamination in multidose vials. In 1999, as a precautionary measure, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the U.S. Public Health Service urged drug companies to voluntarily remove thimerosal from children's vaccines.
The request came after the Food and Drug Administration concluded that children who received the full set of recommended immunizations could accumulate doses of mercury exceeding Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. The problem is that pediatricians cannot get enough of the thimerosal-free version to inoculate all their patients. A temporary waiver has been sent to the California Secretary of Health requesting the power to use thimerosal-based vaccines to cover this flu season. (Bradenton)
