For a long time there’s been concern amongst parents and medical providers about the amount of aluminum in vaccines, and the amount of aluminum a child will be exposed to all together over the course of their first few years if they are fully vaccinated.​ In the medical world, there are arguments on both sides of the fence – some researchers and doctors say the aluminum in vaccines harmless, while others warn of frightening toxic effects of high aluminum as it accumulates in tissues, especially the brain.

Why is Aluminum in Vaccines?

A vaccine is a chopped up or half-dead version of a bacteria or virus. When the immune system gets introduced to the damaged bug it has no trouble fighting it off. If everything goes right, this leaves the immune system with skills to fight that bacteria or virus off, if the person is ever exposed to it in the future.​ The problem is, the bits-and-pieces version of a dead bug is not always that interesting to the immune system. If it’s introduced all by itself, the immune system might not even bother making an immune response. That’s where aluminum comes in – the immune system finds aluminum very annoying. Vaccine manufacturers combine the pathogen parts with aluminum, and so the immune system is more likely to see the virus or bacteria bits as a problem, too. In a way, it’s guilt by association. In other words, it would be great if we could just make these vaccines in an aluminum-free version, but unfortunately, the aluminum is in there because they just wouldn’t work without it.

The other unfortunate issue is that because aluminum is so annoying to the immune system when it starts to build up in the body’s tissues (especially the brain), it can still fire up the immune system, months or even years after the vaccine was given.

Why Might Aluminum Be a Problem?

The kidneys are pretty good at getting rid of most aluminum by excreting it in urine, but a little bit will always get left behind. Over time, the amount left behind can build up in important tissues, especially the brain. Aluminum is a known neurotoxin, meaning it damages brain cells and can cause a long list of neurological issues, such as autoimmune brain inflammation and seizures. High aluminum is also consistently found in the brains of children with autism and is associated with impaired social skills in animal models. Aluminum is also associated with other types of autoimmune diseases, including an emerging disease called autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA).

Do All Vaccines Have Aluminum?

Nope, but a lot of our most important vaccines do (including DTaP, Prevnar, and some forms of HIB). Here’s a list of those that do vs those that don’t:

How Much Aluminum is Safe?

The main ruling by the FDA on the amount of aluminum kids and babies should be exposed to at any given time focuses on how much aluminum is a safe level in liquid food given to kids who are on a feeding tube (aka “parenteral nutrition”). There is no current ruling about the maximum amount of aluminum allowed via vaccination, as this would cause obvious issues for vaccine manufacture and may reduce vaccination rates. The limit they impose on food for parenteral nutrition is 5mcg per kilo per day. In a 7lb baby, this would add up to 16mcg. In a 25lb toddler, it would add up to 57mcg. So I’m sure many of you are now looking back at that chart above. A 16mcg limit for a newborn, and we’re giving them a shot that has 250mcg on their first day of life? This just gets compounded when you think about how much aluminum kids will be exposed to overtime if they are following the CDC schedule. Depending on the brands their pediatrician chooses, a fully vaccinated baby will be injected with 3,020-4,875 mcg of aluminum by the time they are a year and a half old. Many people, myself included, feel very uncomfortable about the potential risks this may pose for kids and their development.

Are There Ways to Reduce Aluminum Absorption or Increase Detox?

Yes! Fortunately, aluminum is easier than many other heavy metals to remove from the body (chelate). Silicon is a mineral that can help the body remove aluminum, and even just the simple addition of silica-rich water can help reduce aluminum levels. In addition, there are various alternative vaccine schedules that reduce the overall burden of aluminum at any one time. ​

There are many vaccine-friendly pediatricians who can help parents both navigate the safest options regarding immunizations and help mitigate the possible effects of vaccines that contain aluminum.

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At Dr.O Care we are always happy to set up appointments either remotely through obtainhealth.com or in-person to discuss all of the ins-and-outs of vaccination options. As a parent of children, I understand how complicated all of these decisions can be! If you’d like to schedule an appointment, just call 904-743-2100, or click here to make an appointment online. ​