What products contain thimerosal?

Thimerosal, a mercury-based compound, has been used as a preservative in various products for decades. However, its use has been controversial due to the potential health risks associated with exposure to mercury. In this article, we will explore what products contain thimerosal and shed some light on why it’s important to know.

The History of Thimerosal

Before diving into what products contain thimerosal, let’s take a quick look at how it became so popular. The chemical was first introduced by Eli Lilly and Company back in 1928 as an antiseptic and antimicrobial agent.¹ Over time, it was recognized for its effectiveness as a preservative in vaccines, especially multi-dose vials that were prone to contamination between uses.[^2]

However, since then there have been increasing concerns about the safety of thimerosal due to the risk of mercury poisoning.[^3] That being said let’s dive deeper into where you can find this substance today.

Medical Products

One area where you might find thimerosal is in medical products such as vaccines or contact lens solutions[^4]. Vaccines are one place where thios aspect cannot be ignored. While many children receive vaccinations containing trace amounts of thiomersal when they’re young[], most now use alternative methods meaning newer versions do not usually contain any traceable amount[^5].

It is still present though among flu shots or other deeply refrigerated items typically relying on multiuse via vaccination programs across developing countries instead of moving toward single-use alternatives[][^6]. Therefore trying out natural immunity enhancers like elderberries may also help us minimize encounters with such toxic ingredients by boosting our defenses[^7].

On another note: if using contact lenses relied w heavily you should choose concervant-free ones when possible although these come at higher costs compared ot their counterparts that utilize this medium for contamination prevention[^4].

List of Medical Products Containing Thimerosal

• Vaccines (flu shots, multi-dose vials)
• Contact lens solutions

Cosmetics and Personal Care Products

In addition to medical products, many cosmetics and personal care items contain thimerosal as well. These can include everything from mascara to skin cream^[8]. Companies have been reconsidering including it in their productions surfacing more preservatives that are safer instead some companies no longer include thiomersal at all such as Aveeno[] so always check labels before purchasing.

List of Cosmetics/Personal Care Products Containing Thimerosal

• Mascara
• Skin Cream
• Eye shadow

Food and Drinks

Finally , manufacturing processes also involve preserving the food contents with additives etc.. Among these conservation mediums we can see the usage of mercury based chemicalssuch as sulfur dioxide when a shellfish is boiled or poached[][^9], thus making them unadvisable for those who want to avoid such an ingredient in their diets .

Thiomersal being one among others usually utilized as wound disinfectants/on living meat surfaces can make its way into our dinner plates through unclean cooking methodology[^7].

List of Food/Drinks That May Contain Thimerosal

-Shelled fish (boiled/poahced varieties)

-Some brands use forms of high fructose corn syrup conservating them using additive solutions.

Overall it is possible, depending on your lifestyle or dietary habits you may encounter trace amounts albeit most commonly glycols such formaldehyde releasing agents replaced by triclosan chlorhexidine added sparingly taking account preservation needs due to trade offs against toxicity.

Conclusion:

Thus concluding what has already discussed comes down–you now gained insight over various aspects where incoporators rely on utilizing thios substance for hygiene assistance but due to setbacks regarding mercury toxicity, it is recommended less and less often in manufacturing practice.[^3] Be conscious of what you consume beyond the surface level but always consult doctors if concerned about risks to health

[] G.S.Aker et al., “Mercury Exposure, Serum Antioxidant Capacity and Total Oxidative, Status in Healthy Adults”, pp336–339. 

[] Though its worth noting completely mercury free vaccine are not yet too widespread especially among developing countries where medical assistance can prove difficult reaching out across all of society levels- full eradication isn’t a feasible option until a better preservative substance replacement has been discovered by drug companies.

|Symptoms                                         | Risk Group |
|-------------------------------------------------|------------|
|Tremors                                          | All        |
|More Frequent Urination                          | Pregnant   |
|(White) lesions inside cheeks/loose teeth/gum pain (hyperkeratosis),                  impaired coordination                                                          |     Infants with exposures       |

[Table describing symptoms dependent upon exposure or vulnerability]

References

Does Thimerosal or Other Mercury-Based Preservatives Pose a Risk? (n.d.). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal/index.html#h2-tabbed-pane-2​​​.

Boyd Haley Interview: NCI Is Off Target! Autism Research Gets It Right!. (2016). Medical Veritas®,13(1), 1–5./Journal link/