Mercury preservative will continue in some flu vaccines

Tennessean
Apr. 26, 2006

Legislation that would prevent Tennessee children from getting flu shots that contain a controversial mercury preservative was withdrawn because the bill’s sponsor didn’t think it would pass.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Susan Lynn, R-Mt. Juliet, would not allow pregnant women or any child younger than 8 to receive flu vaccines that contain more than trace amounts of thimerosal, a vaccine preservative that is 49.6% ethyl mercury.

Some people believe that thimerosal causes autism, but the FDA has said it has found no causal link between thimerosal and autism.

“I think I had the support of a lot of my members and I’m grateful for that,” Lynn said. “However, the persistence of the special interests to derail this bill were just too strong.”

The bill was opposed by the Tennessee Department of Health, the Tennessee Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, among others.