Hansard

There are indeed two pronunciations of the word, Presiding Officer. I will stick to "thimerosal", with the stress on the second syllable.

I am grateful for the opportunity to debate the issue, which has received considerable attention in the past few weeks, particularly through some excellent reporting in The Scotsman. If my mailbag is anything to go by, the matter is a cause of concern to many members of the public, particularly parents of young children.

As we all know, vaccines save lives. I make it clear at the outset that the debate is not an anti-vaccine one; it is about what goes into vaccines. I will not try to give conclusive proof that there is a link between thimerosal and conditions such as autism. Many people believe that there is such a link, but I am not a scientist and I do not know whether such a link exists. However, what I have heard and read gives me great cause for concern.

The presence of thimerosal in vaccines, especially child vaccines, is a risk that we do not have to and should not take. Thimerosal is not an essential component in vaccines, but is used as a preservative to kill bacteria and to prolong shelf life. Thimerosal is 50 per cent ethyl mercury. After plutonium, mercury is the most toxic element in the world. We know from studies with animals that ethyl mercury—the substance that thimerosal breaks down into when it is injected into the body—binds with body protein and brain tissue. Once mercury traces are in the body, they are difficult to remove.

According to the United Kingdom medicines information service, the substance is present in 13 vaccines that are available in the UK. The list includes four of the seven available flu vaccines and, most worrying, the DTP vaccine that is given to babies from the age of eight weeks to protect against diphtheria, tetanus and whole-cell pertussis. Every baby receives three doses of the vaccine in the first 16 weeks of life, with each dose containing 25 micrograms of ethyl mercury. Therefore, in the first 16 weeks of a child's life, when the nervous and immune systems are extremely fragile, the child is injected with 75 micrograms of ethyl mercury.

Is that safe? No doubt the minister will cite the views of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the World Health Organisation, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and others that that level of thimerosal causes no harm. However, I hope that the minister also points out that no major studies have been carried out to demonstrate proper safety limits for exposure to ethyl mercury and that many individuals and organisations express contrary views.

The United States Institute of Medicine stated in a recent report that current scientific evidence neither proves nor disproves a link between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders in children. However, it went on to say that such a link is "biologically plausible" and recommended that thimerosal be removed from vaccines that are administered to infants, children and pregnant women.

The UK medicines information service said that

"The very low thiomersal concentrations present in the pharmacological and biological products are relatively non-toxic in adults",

but

"may be toxic in utero and during the first six months of life."

At question time two weeks ago, the Minister for Health and Community Care said that that statement had been withdrawn from the organisation's website. That is true, but what I—and many parents throughout Scotland—want to know is whether the MIS's statement was true. Parents who are expected to have their children injected with the vaccine have a right to know whether it is toxic. I hope that the deputy minister will answer that question in his comments.

In an internal document that was obtained by The Scotsman, the manufacturer of thimerosal, Eli Lilly, says:

"mercury causes mild to severe mental retardation and motor co-ordination impairment. This chemical contains a property known to the state of California to cause birth defects and other reproductive harm."

Thimerosal has not been used in child vaccines in the US since 1999 and it is no longer used in many other countries. That is a clear indication of the level of concern that exists.

As a result of decisions that are made in London, not in Scotland, the United Kingdom is now the only country in the developed world that has not switched to thimerosal-free vaccines for routine infant immunisations. Unless the minister is willing to state to parents all over the country that thimerosal is safe—and I wait to hear whether the minister will use the word "safe" about the compound—the UK's position must change. There is a chance that thimerosal poses a risk to the health of our children. That is a risk that we should not be taking and, as I said, it is a risk that we do not have to take. Thimerosal does not need to be contained in vaccines.

I am asking the Scottish Executive to do two things. First, it should take steps to inform patients that there is an alternative to the thimerosal-containing DTP vaccine and that they have a right to request it for their children. A mercury-free vaccine called Infanrix is licensed in this country. It costs about £7 more per injection than the thimerosal-containing DTP vaccine, but that is surely a price worth paying to avoid the risk of exposing children to neurological damage.

Malcolm Chisholm said in the chamber two weeks ago that parents have the right to choose. However, what good is that right if most parents do not know that they have it and if most are not aware that an alternative to the routinely used vaccine exists? Information is power; parents should be furnished with the facts to enable them to make informed choices for their children. In the case of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine—which does not contain thimerosal—we have seen the damage that can be done to public confidence when concerns mount and choice is denied.

Secondly, the Scottish Executive must take steps to eliminate the risk. We should follow the lead of other countries and ensure that all vaccines—especially those that are administered to children—are thimerosal free. Thimerosal is not required in vaccines and it should not be permitted. The Scottish Executive has said that the use of thimerosal in vaccines is being phased out. That, in itself, is an admission—or at least an acknowledgement—of the fact that thimerosal may not be safe. I hope that, tonight, the minister will go further and set out the Scottish Executive's clear intention in a defined time scale to rid all child vaccines that are available in Scotland of thimerosal and mercury, in the interests of child safety.