Yes, there is aluminum in vaccines. Not all of them, but in quite a few. Is aluminum dangerous? It is considered at higher levels to be toxic, especially to the brain. Safe level are discussed for all products made in the US including medicines. But not vaccines. And, babies and infants are given much more aluminum in their vaccines than allowed in other products. Many experts suggest aluminum is as toxic as mercury (thimerosal) and some claim it is more toxic.
FDA Safe Levels of Aluminum
The FDA has established maximum “safe” levels of aluminum ingestion for dextrose solutions…usually used for IV drips called total parenteral nutrition (TPN). It is a way of supplying all the nutritional needs of the body by bypassing the digestive system and dripping nutrient solution directly into a vein. The same safe level is also quoted for all injectable medications.
The safe level established by the FDA is 25 mcg. of aluminum per day.
According to the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN), the daily limit is 4 to 5 mcg of aluminum per kilogram of body weight.
Interestingly, nothing in the FDA documents or studies mentions vaccines. Safe levels are discussed only for IV solutions and injectable medications. It is impossible to find any discussion of safe aluminum levels in vaccines…anywhere.
Warning Labels for Aluminum Products
Nor does the FDA require labels on vaccines warning about the dangers of aluminum toxicity, although such labels are required for all other injectable medications.
According to the FDA:
“Aluminum may reach toxic levels with prolonged parenteral administration if kidney function is impaired. Research indicates that patients with impaired kidney function, including premature neonates, who received parenteral levels of aluminum at greater than 4 to 5 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day, accumulate aluminum at levels associated with central nervous system and bone toxicity.”1
The above information means for a tiny newborn, this toxic dose would be 10 to 20 mcgs. (micrograms) and for an adult it would be about 350 mcgs.
The FDA adds:
“Aluminum content in parenteral drug products could result in a toxic accumulation of aluminum in individuals receiving TPN therapy. Research indicates that neonates and patient populations with impaired kidney function may be at high risk of exposure to unsafe amounts of aluminum. Studies show that aluminum may accumulate in the bone, urine, and plasma of infants receiving TPN. Many drug products used in parenteral therapy may contain levels of aluminum sufficiently high to cause clinical manifestations . . . parenteral aluminum bypasses the protective mechanism of the GI tract and aluminum circulates and is deposited in human tissues. Aluminum toxicity is difficult to identify in infants because few reliable techniques are available to evaluate bone metabolism in infants. Although aluminum toxicity is not commonly detected clinically, it can be serious in selected patient populations, such as neonates and may be more common than is recognized.”2
For all TPN solutions and injectable medications, this warning by the FDA is clear on all packaging, but missing from the packaging of aluminum containing vaccines:
WARNING: This product contains aluminum that may be toxic. Aluminum may reach toxic levels with prolonged parenteral administration if kidney function is impaired. Premature neonates are particularly at risk because their kidneys are immature, and they require large amounts of calcium and phosphate solutions, which contain aluminum.
Research indicates that patients with impaired kidney function, including premature neonates, who receive parenteral levels of aluminum at greater than 4 to 5 [micro]g/kg/day accumulate aluminum at levels associated with central nervous system and bone toxicity. Tissue loading may occur at even lower rates of administration.3
No documents tell us what the maximum safe dose would be for a healthy baby or child.
If the safe level is 25 mcg. per day, then why do the recommended childhood vaccinations include far above the recommend amounts? The levels of aluminum included in childhood vaccinations are as follows:
- DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis): 170–625 mcg, depending on
manufacturer - Hepatitis A: 250 mcg
- Hepatitis B: 250 mcg
- Hib (for meningitis; PedVaxHib brand only): 225 mcg
- HPV: 225 mcg
- Pediarix (DTaP–hepatitis B–polio combination): 850 mcg
- Pentacel (DTaP–Hib–polio combination): 330 mcg
- Pneumococcus: 125 mcg
The recommended CDC schedule for vaccinations would then mean that a newborn, still in the hospital, will receive their first Hepatitis B vaccination for a total of 250 mcg. on their first day of life. Are their kidneys/liver mature enough to handle that large dose? Remember the daily recommendation is only 25 mcg. per day. If you follow the mcg. per kilogram formula, the upper level dose is only 18 mcg. for an eight pound baby.
Willing to trust that their kidneys/liver are mature enough?
In the second month, they will receive 545 mcg. from the Dtap, pneumococcus and Hepatitis B vaccines.
In each the fourth and sixth month, they will receive 295 mcg. from the Dtap and pneumococcus vaccines.
In the ninth month, they receive 250 mcg. from the hepatitis B vaccine.
In the 15th month, they receive 375 mcg. from the Hepatitis A and pneumococcus vaccines.
In the 18th months, they receive 170 mcg. at a minimum from The Dtap vaccine.
At 2 years, the Hepatitis A vaccine adds another 250 mcg.
In total, a newborn will receive 1885 mcg. of aluminum by the age of two. And that’s if your doctor uses the vaccines with the lowest possible aluminum content AND the above numbers do not take into consideration the Hib (Hemophilus influenza type B) since only one brand contains it.
Consider that some doctors believe aluminum is more dangerous than mercury (thimerosal).
And there are no long term studies that even address the idea that aluminum poisoning at ANY age DOES NOT lead to future neurological health conditions. Impossible to design a study like that that would cover 3-5 decades to try to make a connection.
And, there is no incentive to design those studies. They would obviously possibly lead to more fear of vaccines than there already is. Bad for business…
1. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Document NDA 19-626/S-019, Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act for Dextrose Injections
2. Department of Health and Human Services, Food and Drug Administration, Document 02N-0496, Aluminum in Large and Small Volume Parenterals Used in Total Parenteral Nutrition. Available online at: http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/98fr/oc0367.pdf
3. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=201.323
