Dr. Halsey's presentation at the National Vaccine Advisory Committee Workshop on Thimerosal and Vaccines held in Bethesda, Maryland on August 11-12, 1999.

Slide Notes:

This figure shows the ATSDR guidelines selected by the Public Health Service superimposed on the daily exposures to ethyl mercury for children who receive all thimerosal-containing vaccines. At 2 months of age children of all weight categories receive more than 30 times the recommended daily maximum exposure and children of the smallest weight category receive almost three months worth of daily exposures on a single day.

If the EPA or WHO guidelines are used, the smallest children receive approximately 8 months of daily exposures in a single day. None of the guidelines provide us with the safety margin for these exposures or how single large exposures should be counted. Physicians administering vaccines and parents must make a decision at the time of immunization as to the safety of the dose of mercury delivered.