![\"A](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2025-12\/251224-chickpox-vaccine-gk-94f5b2.jpg?w=900\")
A person holds a vial of the Varivax vaccine, which protects against chickenpox, in Los Angeles on Oct. 24. (Patrick T. Fallon \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\nWith further changes to the U.S.\u2019 recommended vaccine schedule likely in the year ahead under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s leadership, his agency\u2019s recent scrutiny of one vaccine additive in particular \u2014 aluminum salts \u2014 may offer a clue about what\u2019s to come.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\u2019s vaccine advisory committee \u2014 whom Kennedy selected after firing the previous group \u2014 suggested digging into concerns about aluminum salts, though large studies have found them to be safe. Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, told NBC News that the committee is \u201creviewing the body of science related to aluminum and other possible contaminants in childhood vaccine[s].\u201d <\/p>\n
Similarly, a statement that appeared on the CDC website last month said that HHS is investigating whether aluminum in vaccines could be linked to autism. <\/p>\n
Aluminum salts are not a \u201ccontaminant\u201d in vaccines: The compound is added as an adjuvant, an ingredient that boosts the body\u2019s immune response to a vaccine, allowing for a smaller dose to be used. Nearly a century of evidence has found it to be safe for this purpose. Aluminum salts are naturally present in soil and water, and the amount children are exposed to from vaccines is minuscule compared with cumulative daily exposures from food. (Exposure from infant formula or breastmilk is higher than exposure from vaccines in the first six months of life, as well.) <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is not the thing that you wrap your food in at the barbecue. \u2026 The purpose of them is to just help the immune system respond a little more robustly to that vaccine,\u201d said Dr. Michelle Fiscus, chief medical officer at the Association of Immunization Managers, a nonprofit that supports public vaccination programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cAluminum adjuvants have made vaccines very, very effective and have helped us significantly reduce suffering and sickness and death,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Skeptical or negative statements about aluminum have cropped up repeatedly during federal health announcements and meetings in recent months. President Donald Trump in September said aluminum was being \u201ctaken out of the vaccines\u201d during a news conference in which he and Kennedy warned that Tylenol use in pregnancy may be linked to autism. (The bulk of scientific research has not identified such a link.)<\/p>\n
\u201cWho the hell wants that pumped into a body?\u201d Trump said of aluminum.<\/p>\n
Then, during the CDC\u2019s vaccine advisory panel meeting, Dr. Tracy Beth H\u00f8eg, acting director of the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, argued for adopting the vaccine schedule that Denmark uses, which is sparser than in the U.S., in part because doing so would reduce aluminum exposure.<\/p>\n
Retsef Levi listens during a meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Dec. 5 in Atlanta. (Elijah Nouvelage \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cI do not feel like we have the data to show that there is an established safe amount [of aluminum] that children can receive before the age of 2, before the age of 18,\u201d H\u00f8eg said.<\/p>\n
Some public health experts worry that the investigation into aluminum is part of a broader push to restrict access to or approval of some childhood shots. <\/p>\n
Last week, HHS postponed a planned announcement about children\u2019s health to the new year. The details are not yet known \u2014 CNN reported that the Trump administration was considering decreasing the number of recommended childhood vaccines to align more closely with Denmark\u2019s, citing an unnamed source \u201cfamiliar with the plans.\u201d Several other outlets subsequently reported the same, though NBC News has not confirmed that plan. <\/p>\n
Already, the CDC\u2019s vaccine advisory committee voted to stop recommending the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns, and as a result, the CDC now advises women who test negative for the virus to decide about the shot with their medical providers. <\/p>\n
Changing vaccine recommendations based on concerns about aluminum salts would be a flimsy justification, several public health experts said. Even in Denmark, many recommended vaccines contain aluminum salts, including those for human papillomavirus (HPV), pneumococcal disease, tetanus and whooping cough.<\/p>\n
Of the pediatric vaccines on the CDC\u2019s schedule that are missing from Denmark\u2019s universal recommendations, just three \u2014 for hepatitis A, hepatitis B and meningococcal vaccines \u2014 contain aluminum salts. The others \u2014 for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rotavirus, flu and chickenpox \u2014 do not.<\/p>\n
A person holds a vial of the Varivax vaccine, which protects against chickenpox, in Los Angeles on Oct. 24. (Patrick T. Fallon \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The shot that anti-vaccine activists most frequently and erroneously associate with autism \u2014 the combination measles, mumps and rubella vaccine \u2014 also does not contain aluminum salts. <\/p>\n
A study of more than 1.2 million children in Denmark, published in July in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, found no link between aluminum salts from vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism. <\/p>\n
But Kennedy \u2014 who has made unsubstantiated claims that aluminum in vaccines is linked to rising rates of allergies and autism in children \u2014 demanded the paper be retracted.<\/p>\n
The current childhood vaccine schedule in the U.S. is backed by powerful evidence in terms of safety and effectiveness. Despite concerns about aluminum salts, numerous studies have found no link between aluminum in vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.<\/p>\n
Q: What are aluminum salts used for in vaccines?
\nA: Aluminum salts are used as an adjuvant to boost the body\u2019s immune response to a vaccine.
\nQ: Are aluminum salts safe?
\nA: Yes, numerous studies have found aluminum salts to be safe for use in vaccines.
\nQ: Is there a link between aluminum salts and autism?
\nA: No, numerous studies have found no link between aluminum salts and autism.
\nQ: Why are some experts concerned about the investigation into aluminum salts?
\nA: Some experts are concerned that the investigation into aluminum salts may be part of a broader push to restrict access to or approval of some childhood shots.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to Aluminum Salts in Vaccines With further changes to the U.S.\u2019 recommended vaccine schedule likely in the year ahead under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s leadership, his agency\u2019s recent scrutiny of one vaccine additive in particular \u2014 aluminum salts \u2014 may offer a clue about what\u2019s to come. Scrutiny of Aluminum Salts Earlier […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-34482","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/media.nbcchicago.com\/2025\/12\/rfk-jr-copy.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=1200%2C675&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34482"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34482"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34485,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34482\/revisions\/34485"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}