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PEDIATRICS Vol. 112 No. 6 December 2003, pp. 1394-1397

SPECIAL ARTICLE

Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Vaccines Contain Harmful Preservatives, Adjuvants, Additives, or Residuals?

Paul A. Offit, MD* and Rita K. Jew, PharmD{ddagger}

* Division of Infectious Diseases, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
{ddagger} Department of Pharmacy, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Vaccines often contain preservatives, adjuvants, additives, or manufacturing residuals in addition to pathogen-specific immunogens. Some parents, alerted by stories in the news media or information contained on the World Wide Web, are concerned that some of the substances contained in vaccines might harm their children. We reviewed data on thimerosal, aluminum, gelatin, human serum albumin, formaldehyde, antibiotics, egg proteins, and yeast proteins. Both gelatin and egg proteins are contained in vaccines in quantities sufficient to induce rare instances of severe, immediate-type hypersensitivity reactions. However, quantities of mercury, aluminum, formaldehyde, human serum albumin, antibiotics, and yeast proteins in vaccines have not been found to be harmful in humans or experimental animals.

Key Words: vaccine safety • thimerosal • aluminum • formaldehyde • gelatin • egg proteins • yeast proteins

Abbreviations: FDA, Food and Drug Administration • DTaP, diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis • Hib, Haemophilus influenzae type B • EPA, Environmental Protection Agency • ATSDR, Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry • MMR, measles-mumps-rubella • IgE, immunoglobulin E • CJD, Creutzfeld-Jacob disease • BSE, bovine spongiform encephalopathy • vCJD, variant Creutzfeld-Jacob disease

Received for publication Feb 20, 2003; Accepted May 1, 2003.




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P3Rs:

Read all P3Rs

Parents' worries about thimerosal in vaccines are well founded!
Mark R. Geier, MD, Ph.D., et al.
Pediatrics Online, 12 Mar 2004 [Full text]
Re: Parents' worries about thimerosal in vaccines are well founded!
paul a offit, et al.
Pediatrics Online, 17 Mar 2004 [Full text]
Offit and Jew incorrect on 2003 Vaccination Schedules
Brian S. Hooker
Pediatrics Online, 31 Mar 2004 [Full text]
response to brian hooker
Paul A Offit, et al.
Pediatrics Online, 1 Apr 2004 [Full text]
Safe Aluminum Levels for Infants?
Jennifer L. Archer, BA, LLB
Pediatrics Online, 19 Mar 2008 [Full text]