RFK Jr. Orders Removal of Mercury From Flu Vaccines

The health secretary adopted a recommendation from an advisory panel.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has signed a recommendation to remove a mercury-based preservative from influenza vaccines in the United States, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated on July 23.

Kennedy signed the recommendation from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on July 22, according to the agency.

“After more than two decades of delay, this action fulfills a long-overdue promise to protect our most vulnerable populations from unnecessary mercury exposure,” Kennedy said in a statement. “Injecting any amount of mercury into children when safe, mercury-free alternatives exist defies common sense and public health responsibility. Today, we put safety first.”

Thimerosal, which is about 50 percent mercury by weight, was removed from many vaccines beginning in 1999, when some studies indicated that early exposure to mercury could negatively affect children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which is part of HHS, stated on its website that “there is no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site.”

Multi-dose flu vaccines still contain thimerosal; about 5 percent of the shots administered in the United States in late 2024 and early 2025 contained the preservative, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices advises the CDC, and the CDC’s director typically decides whether to adopt or reject its recommendations. President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the CDC is awaiting a vote by the full Senate, and the CDC does not currently have a director, according to its website.

In June, the CDC’s advisory committee, in a series of 5–1 votes, with one abstention, advised government officials to stop recommending thimerosal-containing vaccines. Advisers, who were appointed by Kennedy after he ousted the previous members, said they were concerned about children being exposed to mercury and wanted to remove a source of that exposure.

“We do have a risk of repeated exposure to this. So it’s not just a one administration, but potential chronic exposure on an annual basis,” Dr. Robert Malone, one of the advisers, said at the time.

Dr. Cody Meissner, the only one to vote against stopping the recommendations, said he did not think there was any evidence that thimerosal has caused problems.

The American College of Physicians and some other groups have stated that a ban is not warranted. Children’s Health Defense, a nonprofit that used to be led by Kennedy, is among the organizations that have supported a ban.

The Food and Drug Administration stated that even without thimerosal-containing vaccines, there appears to be an adequate supply to provide shots to all people who seek them.

“Vaccine manufacturers have confirmed they have the capacity to replace multi-dose vials containing mercury, ensuring the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program and adult vaccine supplies will remain uninterrupted,” HHS stated.

Sanofi and CSL Seqirus produce the vaccines.

A spokesperson for CSL Seqirus told The Epoch Times in an email: “We remain committed to meeting the needs of health care providers and their patients. Delivery of our thimerosal-free flu vaccines for the upcoming season is already underway, and we don’t expect the ACIP recommendation to have any impact on our vaccine supply or shipment timings.”

A spokesperson for Sanofi told The Epoch Times in an email in June that the company would “have sufficient supply of Sanofi flu vaccine to support customer preference” for the flu season, which begins in the fall.

HHS declined to provide the exact language of the order from Kennedy.

Kennedy said other countries should follow the United States in removing thimerosal from vaccines.

“We urge global health authorities to follow this prudent example for the protection of children worldwide,” he said.

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