Original article (in Serbian) was published on 03/10/2023; Author: Milica Ljubičić
These days, some Facebook posts claim that aluminium in vaccines can cause autism, but also Alzheimer’s disease. The same posts are also sharing an old video in which an American paediatrician talks about it. However, people ingest much larger amounts of aluminium through food because this metal is actually present everywhere – in water, air, and food. Experts say that aluminium salts are found in some vaccines as an adjuvant, and their purpose is to enhance the body’s immune response. Aluminum in high levels can really be harmful to health, but it is present in vaccines in extremely small amounts and most of it is eliminated from the body without consequences.
These days, a three-minute video is being shared on Facebook in which American paediatrician Lawrence Palevsky talks about the potential harm of aluminium found in vaccines.
The video was created on February 19, 2020, when Palevsky spoke before the Public Health Committee in the American state of Connecticut. In a clip that was shared on Facebook on September 26, Palevsky talks about the fact that certain vaccines are harmful because they contain microparticles of aluminium that potentially enter the brain and cause autism, Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune diseases, and that the impact of aluminium in vaccines has not been tested on the human body.
Small amounts of aluminium, or aluminium salts, have been used as an adjuvant in vaccines since the 1930s, according to the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to enhance the body’s immune response. For example, aluminium salts are present in vaccines that prevent whooping cough (DTaP), vaccines against hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and some vaccines against the HPV virus.
“Aluminium is one of the most abundant metals in nature and is found in air, food and water. Previous scientific research has shown that the amount of exposure to aluminium in people who adhere to the recommended vaccination schedule is low and that the body does not absorb it”, the CDC states.
The amount of aluminium in vaccines is less than a milligram, between 0.2 and 0.8 milligrams, while for the sake of comparison, an adult ingests seven to nine milligrams of aluminium per day.
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Education Center states in its manual “Aluminium in Vaccines: What We Need to Know” that “most aluminium is quickly eliminated from the body”.
“Most of the aluminium will be eliminated through the kidneys, a small part through the bile, and a part is retained in the tissues. About half of the aluminium is eliminated from the bloodstream in less than 24 hours, and more than three-quarters is eliminated in two weeks”, the Center’s manual states.
They state that a small amount of aluminium is retained in the body over time, of which about 50 to 60 percent is deposited in the bones, about 25 percent in the lungs and about one percent in the brain. By the time children become adults, they will accumulate between 50 and 100 milligrams of aluminium, with that aluminium coming from food.
On the website of this hospital, it is stated that “babies receive a total of about 4.4 milligrams of aluminium from vaccination during the first six months of life, and they receive more than that through nutrition”.
Babies ingest around seven milligrams of aluminium through breast milk, babies who are fed milk formulas ingest around 38 milligrams, while babies who are fed soy formula ingest as much as 117 milligrams in the first six months of life.
A study by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed that the total intake of aluminium that children receive through vaccines during the first year of life is low and that the risk is extremely low.
The CDC, however, points out that an observational study from September 2022 indicated a possible association between aluminium in vaccines and asthma in a group of children who were cared for in healthcare facilities participating in vaccine safety monitoring.
The CDC states that it will not change vaccination recommendations because of one study, but that “further research into this potential safety signal” is needed.
When it comes to the connection of aluminium in vaccines with autism, which Palevsky also talks about, there is no evidence for it.
In 2012, the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety reviewed two studies that linked aluminium in vaccines to autism.
This Committee, which is part of the World Health Organization, indicated that the studies have serious flaws. Among other things, as they state: “the basic argument of these studies is based on ecological comparisons of aluminium in vaccines and rates of autistic disorders in several countries”.
Palevsky’s claims about the potential harm of aluminium in vaccines have previously been disputed by several fact-checking organizations, among them Raskrikavanje.me and Politifact.
Aluminium is present in the environment in different ways, in products used for food such as pots and pans, cans, and foil. It is found in food and drinks such as fruits and vegetables, beer and wine, flour, and dairy products. It is also found in some medical products.
According to available data, the average person in the USA takes in seven to ten milligrams of aluminium per day, mostly through food.
Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals in the Earth’s crust. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that everyone is exposed to low levels of aluminium from food, water, air and soil. Exposure to higher levels of aluminium can indeed lead to neurological and respiratory problems.
Only small amounts of aluminium that you inhale, swallow or come into contact with the skin will enter the bloodstream. Exposure to aluminium is generally not harmful, but exposure to higher levels can affect health, states the CDC, adding that, for example, people who inhale large amounts of aluminium dust may have lung problems.
The CDC indicates that some studies show that people exposed to high levels of aluminium can develop Alzheimer’s disease, while others dispute these findings.
“We don’t know for sure whether aluminium causes Alzheimer’s disease”.
The Alzheimer’s Society concludes similarly – “there is no solid evidence confirming that coming into contact with metals through food or water increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease”.
They explain that in 1965, scientists observed complications in the brains of rabbits injected with large amounts of aluminium, which led to speculation that aluminium could cause dementia.
They note that such results have been observed with extremely high aluminium exposures, which exceed the levels of aluminium that can enter the body through food, drink and the use of utensils.
After this, other studies were done, but none of them could confirm with certainty that there is a connection between aluminium exposure and Alzheimer’s disease.