In a startling revelation, a report on the use of thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines, set to be presented to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory committee, has been found to cite a study that does not exist. This revelation comes from Robert Berman, a professor emeritus at UC Davis, who was erroneously listed as a co-author of the purported study. The report, titled 'Thimerosal as a Vaccine Preservative,' is scheduled for presentation by Lyn Redwood, a former leader of the anti-vaccine organization Children’s Health Defense.

The controversy centers around a study cited in the report, allegedly published in the journal Neurotoxicology in 2008 and co-authored by Berman. However, Berman has clarified that no such study exists under his authorship. He acknowledged co-authoring a similarly titled study in a different journal, Toxicological Sciences, which reached conclusions contrary to those suggested by Redwood. "We did not examine the effects of thimerosal in microglia," Berman stated, distancing himself from the misrepresentation.

This incident has further fueled the contentious atmosphere surrounding the CDC meeting, already under scrutiny after US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly dismissed all 17 members of the previous expert panel, replacing them with eight new members, half of whom have expressed anti-vaccine sentiments. Kennedy, a prominent anti-vaccine activist and founder of Children’s Health Defense, has long advocated for a link between vaccines and autism, despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.

The meeting, scheduled for June 25 and 26, has drawn bipartisan calls for postponement from Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic Senator Patty Murray of Washington State. Both senators argue that the meeting should not proceed with an inadequately staffed panel and in the absence of a CDC director. Cassidy, who chairs the Senate committee on health, education, labor, and pensions, emphasized the need for a comprehensive review process.

The implications of Redwood’s presentation are significant, as it contrasts sharply with a separate CDC report that finds no evidence supporting a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. The CDC report highlights that 96% of influenza vaccines in the US during the 2024-25 flu season were thimerosal-free, with a marked decline in thimerosal-containing flu vaccines administered to pregnant women. As the debate over vaccine safety continues, the integrity of scientific citations remains paramount in guiding public health policy.