Introduction to Aluminum Salts in Childhood Vaccines
With further changes to the U.S.’ recommended vaccine schedule likely in the year ahead under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership, his agency’s recent scrutiny of one vaccine additive in particular — aluminum salts — may offer a clue about what’s to come. Earlier this month, members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee — whom Kennedy selected after firing the previous group — 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 “reviewing the body of science related to aluminum and other possible contaminants in childhood vaccine[s].”
The Role of Aluminum Salts in Vaccines
Aluminum salts are not a “contaminant” in vaccines: The compound is added as an adjuvant, an ingredient that boosts the body’s 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. “This is not the thing that you wrap your food in at the barbecue. … The purpose of them is to just help the immune system respond a little more robustly to that vaccine,” said Dr. Michelle Fiscus, chief medical officer at the Association of Immunization Managers, a nonprofit that supports public vaccination programs.
Concerns and Criticisms
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 “taken out of the vaccines” during a news conference in which he and Kennedy warned that Tylenol use in pregnancy may be linked to autism. “Who the hell wants that pumped into a body?” Trump said of aluminum. Then, during the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel meeting, Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, acting director of the Food and Drug Administration’s 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.
Retsef Levi listens during a meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Dec. 5 in Atlanta. (Elijah Nouvelage / Getty Images)
Public Health Experts’ Concerns
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. Last week, HHS postponed a planned announcement about children’s health to the new year. The details are not yet known — CNN reported that the Trump administration was considering decreasing the number of recommended childhood vaccines to align more closely with Denmark’s, citing an unnamed source “familiar with the plans.” Several other outlets subsequently reported the same, though NBC News has not confirmed that plan.
The Science Behind Aluminum Salts
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. But Kennedy — who has made unsubstantiated claims that aluminum in vaccines is linked to rising rates of allergies and autism in children — demanded the paper be retracted. “A closer look reveals a study so deeply flawed it functions not as science but as a deceitful propaganda stunt by the pharmaceutical industry,” he wrote in an editorial on the website TrialSite News.
Conclusion
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. A recent analysis from the World Health Organization found no link between autism and vaccines containing thimerosal or aluminum. “There’s this constant movement of the goal post to try to implicate vaccines in the development of these diseases, and there’s just not science to back those claims,” Fiscus said.
FAQs
Q: Are aluminum salts safe in vaccines?
A: Yes, nearly a century of evidence has found aluminum salts to be safe for use in vaccines as an adjuvant.
Q: What is the purpose of aluminum salts in vaccines?
A: Aluminum salts help boost the body’s immune response to a vaccine, allowing for a smaller dose to be used.
Q: Have there been any studies linking aluminum salts to autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders?
A: No, large studies have found no link between aluminum salts from vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.
Q: Why are some public health experts concerned about the investigation into aluminum salts?
A: 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.
Q: What do public health experts say about changing vaccine recommendations based on concerns about aluminum salts?
A: Changing vaccine recommendations based on concerns about aluminum salts would be a flimsy justification, according to several public health experts.
