Do vaccines containing aluminum salt ingredients cause autism or ADHD, and are such vaccine ingredients harmful to people? No, that's not true: Aluminum has been used in vaccines since the 1930s and previous studies have determined it is safe. It's used in vaccines as an adjuvant -- a vaccine component that boosts the immune response to the vaccine.
The claim appeared in a video on TikTok by @robe_78_ on October 29, 2023, showing a public hearing in the U.S. state of Connecticut on February 19, 2020. In it, Dr. Larry Palevsky, a New York State registered pediatrician who has long opposed vaccines for children, claims:
We have not evaluated the safety of the aluminum nanoparticle ... what we are seeing is a large outbreak of neurodevelopmental disabilities in adults including Alzheimer's.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Tue Oct 31 01:39:48 2023 UTC)
A review of all the available studies of aluminum-containing vaccines, including those for diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis, did not find any evidence that aluminum salts in vaccines cause serious health problems. According to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, doctors advise:
The aluminum contained in vaccines is similar to that found in a liter ... of infant formula. While infants receive about 4.4 milligrams* of aluminum in the first six months of life from vaccines, they receive more than that in their diet. Breast-fed infants ingest about 7 milligrams, formula-fed infants ingest about 38 milligrams.
Lead Stories has previously debunked false claims linking vaccines to autism and other neurological ailments here and here and claims linking aluminum ingredients used in some vaccines to Alzheimer's or other ailments here and here.
Studies show vaccines do not cause ADHD or related conditions and that Autism Spectrum Disorder has no single known cause.
Furthermore, no link has been found between autism and vaccines, including those containing thimerosal, a mercury-based compound.
