Neonatal exposure to Thimerosal from vaccines and child development in the first 3 years of life

BackgroundDespite the common use of Thimerosal as a preservative in childhood vaccines since the 1930s, there are not many studies on ethylmercury toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics in infants. The knowledge of ethylmercury's potential adverse effects is derived mostly from parallel methylmercury research or from animal and theoretical models.Aim of the studyThis study was designed to examine the relationship between neonatal exposure to Thimerosal-containing vaccine (TCV) and child development.Material and methodsThe study sample consisted of 196 infants born between January 2001 and March 2003 to mothers attending ambulatory prenatal clinics in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy in Krakow. Vaccination history (date and the type of the vaccine) was extracted from physicians' records. Child development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID-II) measured in one-year intervals over 3 years. General Linear Model (GLM) and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) models adjusted for potential confounders were used to assess the association.ResultsAn adverse effect of neonatal TCV exposure was observed for the psychomotor development index (PDI) only in the 12th and 24th months of life (β = − 6.44, p < 0.001 and β = − 5.89, p < 0.001). No significant effect of neonatal TCV exposure was found in the 36th month. The overall deficit in the PDI attributable to neonatal TCV exposure measured over the course of the three-year follow-up (GEE) was significantly higher in TCV group (β = − 4.42, p = 0.001). MDI scores did not show the adverse association with neonatal TCV exposure.

► Neonatal exposure to Thimerosal from vaccines and child development were examined.
► Neonatal exposure to Thimerosal affects psychomotor development.
► No association was found between Thimerosal exposure and mental tests scores.