Methylmercury and ethylmercury exhibit a range of harmful neurological effects in humans and animals. Methylmercury is a recognized trigger of oxidative stress and disrupted neurodevelopment. But the developmental neurotoxicity of ethylmercury, a metabolite of thimerosal, has not been explored.
A new study from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital examined the hypothesis that thimerosal exposure during the perinatal period impairs central nervous system development, and specifically the cerebellum. To test this, rats were exposed to thimerosal during pregnancy and lactation.
According to the study:
“[The] data ... demonstrate a negative neurodevelopmental impact of perinatal [thimerosal] exposure ... We report here that [mercury] exposure in the form of [thimerosal] results in a variety of neurodevelopmental deficits [and] altered cerebellar oxidative stress”.