Thimerosal - Safe When Injected, But Hold Your Breath and Don’t Swallow!

Anyone who has paid any attention to the great vaccine debate over the last couple of years will have heard of Thimerosal. It’s a chemical that has historically been added to vaccines as a preservative. There’s been debate about whether this mercury derivative has been in any way responsible for the huge increases in childhood autism over the last decade.

Of course, vaccine-makers have claimed that their products are, and have always been, safe. Most have, however, publicly said that they no longer use Thimerosal in their vaccines. Not because it is unsafe, but simply because the public asked for it. (yeah, right!)

In any event, here’s an interesting bit of info from the Merck website. Thimerosal is classified as VERY TOXIC, and even has the wicked skull and cross bones symbol in red, no less! Here’s how they define “very toxic”: Inhalation, swallowing, or absorption through the skin in very small amounts can cause considerable damage to health, and may sometimes be lethal. There is serious evidence of severe, possibly irreversible, damage to health by single, repeated, or prolonged absorption. How can it be toxic if absorbed through the skin unto the bloodstream, but safe when injected directly into the body? So be warned: Don’t breathe it. Don’t drink it. Don’t let it get on your skin. But, it’s okay to inject it into the bloodstream of infants, over and over and over and over again…. yeah, sure.

Read a great article about mercury poisoning in the March 2005 issue of Discover Magazine.