What is thimerosal derived from?
Thimerosal as a Preservative Thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound (an organomercurial). Since the 1930s, it has been widely used as a preservative in a number of biological and drug products, including many vaccines, to help prevent potentially life threatening contamination with harmful microbes.
How is ethylmercury metabolized?
Ethylmercury is rapidly converted to inorganic mercury. Hg substantially accumulates in kidney with a terminal half-life of 45.2 d. The dealkylation of ethylmercury occurs in red blood cells but not in plasma. Hydroxyl radical is probably the main effector of this dealkylation.
Is thimerosal an antiseptic?
Thiomersal (INN), commonly known in the U.S. as thimerosal, is an organomercury compound. This compound is a well-established and widely used antiseptic and antifungal agent.
What is the chemical formula for thimerosal?
C9H9HgNaO2SThiomersal / Formula
What is ethylmercury found in?
ethylmercury. Mercury is a naturally occurring element found in the earth’s crust, air, soil and water.
What is the difference between ethylmercury and methylmercury?
Thimerosal contains ethylmercury, which is cleared from the human body more quickly than methylmercury, and is therefore less likely to cause any harm.
Is thimerosal a neurotoxin?
in the vaccines does make its way to the brain of a fetus and infants. of a fetus or a small newborn cause any damage? indeed interferes with folate-dependent methylation.
What does ethylmercury do to humans?
Toxicity. The toxicity of ethylmercury is well studied. Like methylmercury, ethylmercury distributes to all body tissues, crossing the blood–brain barrier and the placental barrier, and ethylmercury also moves freely throughout the body.
What is ethylmercury used for?
Because of its application as a vaccine preservative, almost every human and animal (domestic and farmed) that has been immunized with thimerosal-containing vaccines has been exposed to etHg.
Why is ethylmercury less toxic than methylmercury?
Ethylmercury is broken down and excreted much more rapidly than methylmercury. Therefore, ethylmercury (the type of mercury in the influenza vaccine) is much less likely than methylmercury (the type of mercury in the environment) to accumulate in the body and cause harm.