U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has demanded a worldwide ban on the use of mercury in vaccines.
In a speech posted to X, Kennedy addressed the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which was “born of a shared moral conviction that no human being should suffer from exposure to mercury.”
“It’s inexcusable that governments around the world still allow mercury-based compounds in healthcare when safe alternatives exist. Now that America has removed mercury from all vaccines, I call on every global health authority and every party to this convention to do the same.”
Now that America has removed mercury from all vaccines, I call on every global health authority to do the same — to ensure that no child, anywhere in the world, is ever exposed to this deadly neurotoxin again. pic.twitter.com/LYitY3PfRc
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) November 3, 2025
The Defender reports: “There is no use for mercury in the body, and all mercury is toxic,” Dr. Meryl Nass said. “Kennedy‘s call to remove mercury from all commercial medical products is entirely sound and, if heeded, will protect many individuals from future injuries.”
The World Health Organization considers mercury one of the top 10 chemicals of major public health concern, calling it “toxic to human health.”
“Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative that has never undergone proper safety testing in humans,” Kennedy said in his Monday video. He added:
“Hundreds of peer-reviewed studies identify it as a potent neurotoxin, a mutagen, a carcinogen and an endocrine disrupter. Thimerosal’s own label requires it to be treated as hazardous material and warns against ingestion. There is not a single study that proves it safe.”
Global treaty against mercury exempted vaccines
The Minamata Convention on Mercury is a global treaty aimed at protecting human health and the environment from the adverse effects of mercury and its compounds.
More than 150 countries are party to the convention, which was adopted in 2013 and took effect in 2017.
In his virtual address to convention delegates, Kennedy noted that their fight against mercury began with a global treaty that omitted vaccines from oversight. He said:
“In 2010, as the treaty took shape, negotiators made a major exception — thimerosal-containing vaccines were carved out of the regulation. The same treaty that began to phase out mercury in lamps and cosmetics chose to leave it in products injected into babies, pregnant women and the most vulnerable among us. We have to ask why.”
The media representative for the Minamata Convention on Mercury did not respond to The Defender’s request for comment.
However, Monika Stankiewicz, executive secretary of the Minamata Convention, said in her welcoming remarks at the conference’s opening on Monday that major challenges remain in the fight against mercury. She said:
“The heart of our convention lies with those most vulnerable to mercury exposure and disproportionately impacted — Indigenous peoples, local communities, women and children. …
“… I remain deeply optimistic that the Minamata Convention will continue to make a positive and lasting impact on people’s lives everywhere and will serve as a shining example of multilateral cooperation.”
Countries debate total ban on dental amalgam
The sixth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which runs through Friday, includes more than 1,000 participants from governments, intergovernmental organizations, United Nations bodies, civil society, Indigenous people and youth.
Delegates are reviewing proposals to phase out dental amalgam, address mercury in skin-lightening products, curb the use of mercury in small-scale gold mining, and explore mercury-free alternatives for vinyl chloride monomer, a key ingredient in PVC plastic.
The treaty requires signatories to take steps to phase out mercury-based dental fillings. On Monday, several countries, including the U.S., called for a worldwide ban on mercury-based dental amalgams by 2030.
Some African countries support a stricter rule, banning the production, import and export of the fillings. Burkina Faso’s representative highlighted that poorer countries face challenges in safely managing mercury waste because “there is insufficient — or even a complete lack of — infrastructure.”
However, Britain’s delegate argued that a full ban by 2030 would come “too soon.” The official acknowledged the strong environmental reasons for reducing global reliance on dental amalgam but emphasized that decision-makers should also consider the cost and durability of alternatives.
The Minamata Convention is named after Minamata, Japan, which experienced a decades-long incidence of mercury poisoning after tainted industrial wastewater contaminated the bay in the mid-20th century. The mercury accumulated in fish and shellfish, poisoning thousands of people and leaving many dead or severely disabled.
This year’s multidose flu vaccines contain mercury
In June, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory committee voted to no longer recommend flu vaccines that contain thimerosal. Instead, committee members voted that all children and adults receive only single-dose influenza vaccines, which don’t contain mercury.
In July, Kennedy led the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in adopting the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ recommendation to remove thimerosal from all U.S. influenza vaccines. Thimerosal was removed from all routine childhood vaccines in 2001.
Flu vaccine manufacturers confirmed they have the capacity to replace multidose vials containing mercury with single-dose shots, according to HHS’ July press release.
However, five multidose vials of influenza vaccine — which contain mercury — are listed among the options for the 2025-26 flu season, according to a chart compiled by Immunize.org.
The CDC website, updated Oct. 28, states, “Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative that has been used for decades in the United States in multi-dose vials (vials containing more than one dose) of medicines and vaccines.”
According to the site, there is no link to autism or evidence of harm caused by low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site.