Some of my patients are reading The Vaccine Book, in which the author, Dr. Bob Sears, cites studies that he interprets as showing that the amount of aluminum found in certain vaccines might be unsafe. He thinks it is better to separate aluminum-containing vaccines, rather than give them according to the recommended U.S. immunization schedule. I would love any information you have about this.

Paul Offit, MD, and Charlotte Moser, BS, of the Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, published an article, “The Problem with Dr. Bob’s Alternative Vaccine Schedule,” in the January 2009 issue of Pediatrics. It includes a section about aluminum. You can read it in its entirety at pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/123/1/e164.

Here are some additional sources of related information:

“Aluminum in Vaccines: What you should know” is available from VEC at www.chop.edu/export/download/pdfs/articles/vaccine-education-center/aluminum.pdf.

“Vaccine Ingredients: What you should know” is available from VEC at www.chop.edu/export/download/pdfs/articles/vaccine-education-center/vaccine-ingredients.pdf.