Thimerosal in Vaccines? What is it?
When you go to the doctor for a flu shot, you may be asked to sign a waiver or release form. It indicates you no known negative responses to the presence of thimerosal. Perhaps you've never heard of this before? Well, perhaps you have under a different name. Many years ago it was called Merthiolate. Properties Thimerosal is an antiseptic, antifungal compound. It is used as a preservative. It is also known as thiomersal. The prefix “thio” refers to the presence of sulfur. Thimerosal also contains an atom of mercury. Structure Its structure is seen in the image associated with this article. The S atom is sulfur, the Hg is hydrargyrum (mercury). The ring is a benzene ring, and the line segment to the right of the mercury atom is…