Global Justice and the Proposed Ban on Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines

King, Katherine F.; Paterson, Megan; Green, Shane K.

doi:10.1542/peds.2012-2976

Cited by 9 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…57 The vaccine stability, safety and efficacy could potentially be altered if at all the multi-dose formulations are provided with other preservatives which would further require a time consuming and extensive testing of the vaccines. Hence, thimerosal still remains the preservative of choice in resource poor countries.…”

Section: Study Findings Conducted Bymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1 At present, nearly 84 million children are being immunised with TCVs annually. 57 Treating different people according to their needs and requirements is not unethical until and unless the practice itself has been proven to be associated with some avoidable harms. Thimerosal has a long record of safe use in vaccines with the recent toxicity concerns which still remain unfounded.…”

Section: Study Findings Conducted Bymentioning

confidence: 99%

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A review on thimerosal: an irreplaceable element of long-term immunisation strategy in low income countries

Singla

Gupta

Kaur

2017

Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol

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Thimerosal, an organic-mercury (Hg) compound containing 49.55% Hg by weight, is added to vaccines as a preservative permitting formulation of multi-dose vaccine vials. Being a derivative of ethylmercury, it has been linked with autism as a possible risk factor based on the assumption that exposure to ethylmercury would have similar neurotoxic effects as another mercurial compound, methylmercury. In 1999, AAP issued a joint statement emphasising the removal of thimerosal from vaccines. Subsequently, several studies have been conducted; those showing positive association between thimerosal exposure and autism have been recognised to be fraught with methodological flaws. On the other hand, many well controlled studies have failed to find any such causal relation and there are others that have clearly demonstrated a much favourable kinetic profile of ethylmercury as compared to methylmercury. Owing to the lack of data, AAP retired its original statement in 2002. Recently, thimerosal has been exempted from regulation by Minamata Convention on Mercury resulting in the continued use of low cost thimerosal containing vaccines in low income countries which cannot afford to run their immunisation program using single dose thimerosal free vaccines, that comparatively cost much higher, as is the case in high income countries. Some bodies view this as a discrimination on the basis of wealth of a nation and have opposed this decision. This review presents various studies regarding the causal association between thimerosal containing vaccines and autism. The current evidence fails to support any such association. Hence this review supports the exemption of thimerosal from regulation and also justifies its use in LICs for uninterrupted vaccination of the most vulnerable population.

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Section: Study Findings Conducted Bymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Findings Conducted Bymentioning

confidence: 99%

A review on thimerosal: an irreplaceable element of long-term immunisation strategy in low income countries

Singla

Gupta

Kaur

2017

Int J Basic Clin Pharmacol

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“…As the minamata Convention on hg was being negotiated, civil society representatives from the Coalition for mercuryfree Drugs (ComeD), a participating non-governmental organisation (NGO) (6), argued that this disparity constitutes an obviously discriminatory double standard in vaccine safety, which some have attempted to justify (7). While proponents of thimerosal acknowledged that such a disparity does, indeed, exist between high-income countries (hICs) and low-and middle-income countries (LmICs), they offered three main arguments to defend the exemption of TCVs from regulation (8). They argued that first, the use of thimerosal as a vaccine preservative is safe, and its removal from most of the thimerosal-preserved vaccines in the hICs was merely precautionary.…”

Section: A Double Standard In Vaccine Safety?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Before analysing these arguments, however, it is of critical importance to make a preliminary assessment of the ultimate "moral" conclusion predicated upon these claims [emphasis added]: "Treating individuals with equal regard, however, does not mean that all people are treated the same in all respects …. It is only when differences in practice are not justified by differences in the need and circumstances of the target individual or group, leading to avoidable harm, that concerns of injustice and inequality arise" (8).…”

Section: A Double Standard In Vaccine Safety?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thimerosal as discrimination: vaccine disparity in the UN Minamata Convention on mercury

Sykes¹,

Geier²,

King³

et al. 2014

IJME

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When addressing toxins, one unmistakable parallel exists between biology and politics: developing children and developing nations are those most vulnerable to toxic exposures. This disturbing parallel is the subject of this critical review, which examines the use and distribution of the mercury (Hg)-based compound, thimerosal, in vaccines. Developed in 1927, thimerosal is 49.55% Hg by weight and breaks down in the body into ethyl-Hg chloride, ethyl-Hg hydroxide and sodium thiosalicylate. Since the early 1930s, there has been evidence indicating that thimerosal poses a hazard to the health of human beings and is ineffective as an antimicrobial agent. While children in the developed and predominantly western nations receive doses of mostly no-thimerosal and reduced-thimerosal vaccines, children in the developing nations receive many doses of several unreduced thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs). Thus, thimerosal has continued to be a part of the global vaccine supply and its acceptability as a component of vaccine formulations remained unchallenged until 2010, when the United Nations (UN), through the UN Environment Programme, began negotiations to write the global, legally binding Minamata Convention on Hg. During the negotiations, TCVs were dropped from the list of Hg-containing products to be regulated. Consequently, a double standard in vaccine safety, which previously existed due to ignorance and economic reasons, has now been institutionalised as global policy. Ultimately, the Minamata Convention on Hg has sanctioned the inequitable distribution of thimerosal by specifically exempting TCVs from regulation, condoning a two-tier standard of vaccine safety: a predominantly no-thimerosal and reduced-thimerosal standard for developed nations and a predominantly thimerosal-containing one for developing nations. This disparity must now be evaluated urgently as a potential form of institutionalised discrimination.

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“…4,5,8 In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also emphasized the fact that there is no evidence that the thimerosal content in vaccines caused any adverse reactions save for increased sensitivity around injection sites. 10 …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thimerosal: current sources of contact in Brazil

Rocha

Scherrer

2014

An. Bras. Dermatol.

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Thimerosal is an organic mercury derivative found in ophthalmic solutions and certain vaccines in Brazil. Although most studies suggest the prevalence of thimerosal sensitivity to be quite high, this condition does not currently have any clinical relevance. The present article surveyed 184 Brazilian products (151 topical medications and 33 vaccines) and found that thimerosal was only present in 3 ophthalmic solutions and 5 vaccines.

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Global Justice and the Proposed Ban on Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

A review on thimerosal: an irreplaceable element of long-term immunisation strategy in low income countries

A review on thimerosal: an irreplaceable element of long-term immunisation strategy in low income countries

Thimerosal as discrimination: vaccine disparity in the UN Minamata Convention on mercury

Thimerosal: current sources of contact in Brazil

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