A majority of vaccine advisers selected by Robert F. Kennedy Jr chose to endorse flu vaccines without the preservative thimerosal, but not those that contain it. Anti-vaccine groups have long claimed the preservative is linked to autism.
Lyn Redwood from the US Health and Human Services agrees that removing a known neurotoxin is a step towards making America healthy again. However, Dr. Elizabeth Hawse, a pediatrician in Lexington, notes that thimerosal has been largely removed from vaccines since 2000.
“The preservative was taken out of flu vaccines around 25 years ago and is no longer widely used,” Dr. Hawse said. “It’s only still found in one type of vaccine given to adults, not children.”
Dr. Hawse also explained that thimerosal contains ethyl mercury, a different chemical form from methylmercury, which is the harmful form linked to autism.
Interestingly, research has shown that since the removal of thimerosal from vaccines, the rate of autism has actually increased, contradicting claims of a link between the preservative and the condition. Dr. Hawse advises parents with concerns about vaccines to speak to their pediatrician.
Source: https://www.wkyt.com/2025/06/30/lexington-doctor-reacts-cdc-vaccine-vote