Legislature prohibits mercury in vaccinations for children, pregnant women

OLYMPIA – Ever since 1999, when major health organizations warned against the use of thimerosal in vaccines, a cloud has hung over the mercury-containing chemical for fear it can cause autism.

On July 1, thanks to legislation prohibiting the use of vaccines that contain thimerosal, parents in Washington will be able to put that fear to rest.

“Parents should be able to get their kids vaccinations without worrying that they might be injecting them with mercury,” said Sen. Marilyn Rasmussen, D-Eatonville, whose Senate Bill 5305 passed the Legislature today after a two-year effort. “Although mercury hasn’t been directly linked to autism, the rising rate of autism in children has a lot of people scared.”

Those fears have at least partly contributed to Washington’s having one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country, said Diana Stadden, executive director of the Autism Society of Washington.

“I’m just so happy we finally got something through and we can start letting parents know,” Stadden said. “For the majority of kids, they need those vaccines.”

In addition to eliminating parents’ fears, the legislation protects Washington against becoming a dumping ground as more states ban thimerosal, said Rasmussen, who cares for a grandchild who has autism.

“This means the companies that still produce vaccines with thimerosal will start looking for other states to be the dumping ground states,” said Stadden, whose son also has autism.

In 1999, the U.S. Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that thimerosal be removed from vaccines as a precautionary measure. The chemical serves as a stabilizing agent that extends shelf life.

SB 5305 prohibits the administering of a mercury-containing vaccine, or other mercury-containing product that does not meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration vaccine licensing requirements, to anyone in Washington who is known to be pregnant or is under age 3.

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