Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued his campaign against the aluminium in some vaccines by suggesting at a conference on Monday that they may play a role in the rise of food allergies.
Kennedy acknowledged there is no science backing the connection, but said he wanted researchers to study aluminium adjuvants in childhood vaccines because he believes their use "fit the timeline perfectly" with an increased prevalence of food allergies. He added that pesticides and ultraprocessed food also could be contributing factors, without providing evidence.
"We don't have the science to say this is an effect or not, or maybe other things like, for example, pesticides that fit the same timeline," he said at the Washington conference, which was focused on food allergies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that aluminium salts, used to strengthen the body's immune response, "have been used safely in vaccines for decades."
Still, Kennedy and other Trump administration officials have been attacking the use of aluminium in vaccines for months.
In September President Donald Trump said he wanted aluminium removed from vaccines. A month later, a CDC advisory committee said in a document that it may study whether either of two aluminium adjuvants in childhood vaccines increase the risk of asthma. A draft agenda for its December meeting includes a discussion of "adjuvants and contaminants."
Vaccines that contain aluminium adjuvants primarily include products made by GSK Plc, Merck & Co., Pfizer Inc. and Sanofi Sa. They are used to inoculate children and adults against diseases including polio, hepatitis A and B, human papillomavirus, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, meningitis and pneumonia.
The CDC cites one observational study from 2022 that showed a possible relationship between aluminium exposure from vaccines and asthma, and said "further investigation is needed." A larger 2023 study conducted by Denmark's public health agency found no association between aluminium adjuvants and asthma. Kennedy demanded that the Annals of Internal Medicine medical journal retract the Danish study, but the editors of the journal refused.
Kennedy on Monday called for more research into the causes of food allergies by government agencies. His top deputies including National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, and Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health Director Alicia Jackson appeared at the food allergy conference as well.
The talking point is not a new one for Kennedy. He has a history of blaming aluminium in vaccines for various ailments, including depression, anxiety, allergies and Alzheimer's disease.
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