CDC Panel to Review Safety of Aluminum Salts in Vaccines Amid Rising Controversy
ATLANTA, Ga. — A key advisory panel to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is preparing to undertake a review of aluminum salts used as adjuvants in many vaccines, sparking concern among public health experts who emphasize the additives’ long-established safety and critical role in vaccine efficacy.
Aluminum salts have been incorporated into vaccines for nearly a century to enhance immune response, enabling vaccines to provide stronger and longer-lasting protection. These adjuvants are present in approximately half of the childhood vaccines administered in the United States, including those for hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, and human papillomavirus (HPV). Despite this, skepticism surrounding their safety has grown, fueled in part by some members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which guides vaccine policy.
This shift comes after a dramatic overhaul of the ACIP membership earlier this year by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent vaccine skeptic who has publicly questioned the safety of aluminum in vaccines. Kennedy has linked aluminum exposure to increases in autism and childhood allergies, claims that have been widely discredited by scientific research. At a National Governors Association meeting in July, Kennedy stated, “We need to look at the aluminum in the vaccines to see if that has anything to do with this explosion of allergies that began in 1989, which was the year they expanded the vaccine schedule.”
In December, the ACIP voted 8-to-3 to rescind the longstanding recommendation for universal newborn hepatitis B vaccination—a move that alarmed public health advocates given the vaccine’s role in reducing childhood hepatitis B infections by 99% since 1991, according to CDC data. During the same meeting, the panel indicated plans to accelerate scrutiny of aluminum adjuvants. Dr. Evelyn Griffin, an obstetrician-gynecologist and newly appointed Louisiana surgeon general, presented concerns that injected aluminum might accumulate in organs such as the liver, spleen, and brain, potentially causing chronic fatigue and other health issues. These assertions stand in contrast to extensive research findings.
Scientists caution that removing aluminum adjuvants would necessitate reformulating vaccines with alternative substances and conducting rigorous safety and efficacy trials—a process potentially spanning a decade. Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor University, criticized the ACIP’s new direction, stating, “The ACIP has ceased to be a reliable source for anything vaccine related and their recommendations should be ignored.” He noted that professional organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics and regional coalitions are developing independent, evidence-based vaccine guidelines.
Hotez pointed to a comprehensive study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in July, which analyzed health records of 1.2 million Danish children born between 1997 and 2018. The study found no association between aluminum-containing vaccines and conditions such as asthma, allergies, autoimmune disorders, autism, or ADHD. Kennedy dismissed the study as “deceitful propaganda” and demanded its retraction.
Supporting the consensus, a recent review by researchers primarily from Stanford University examined nearly a century of safety data, including epidemiological studies, pharmacokinetic modeling by the Food and Drug Administration, and clinical surveillance worldwide. Dr. Seth Ari Sim-Son Hoffman, an infectious disease specialist and co-author of the review, emphasized, “We found no credible evidence linking aluminum salt-adjuvanted vaccines to any safety signal.” He added that even vulnerable populations, such as preterm infants and patients with kidney disease, tolerate these vaccines without adverse effects.
Aluminum adjuvants remain essential to the effectiveness of many vaccines on the U.S. pediatric immunization schedule. Experts warn that undermining confidence in these additives risks reversing decades of progress in preventing infectious diseases. As the ACIP prepares to conduct its review in 2026, public health officials and scientists urge reliance on rigorous, evidence-based research to guide vaccine policy and maintain public trust in immunization programs.
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