Social media users shared posts online claiming that COVID-19 vaccines contain human aborted fetus cells, triton X-100, timeroosal and aluminum. This assertion is untrue.
Examples can be seen here and here .
The report reads: “The new slogan of the CDC is #VaccinateWithConfidence. MRC-5 cells are a human male aborted fetus; WI-38 is female. TritionX-100 is a detergent used in spermicide. Thimerosal is 49.5% mercury. Aluminum is a neurotoxin. Check out the other vaccine ingredients here: cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/… (screenshot of incomplete link) ”
In the United States, the Pfizer and Modern COVID-19 vaccines are licensed for emergency use by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but they have not yet been fully approved by the FDA. At the time of publication in February 2021, there was no fully approved vaccine COVID-19 by the FDA (here)
PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 VACCINE
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is administered in two doses, three weeks apart (here).
An information sheet on the FDA’s website contains the ingredients in the vaccine. It contains mRNA, lipids, potassium chloride, monobasic potassium phosphate, sodium chloride, dibasic sodium phosphate dihydrate and sucrose.
It does not contain human aborted fetal cells, triton X-100, thimerosal or aluminum in its ingredients.
MODERN COVID-19 SYSTEM
The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is administered in two doses in the muscle, one month apart (here).
An information sheet on the FDA’s website contains the ingredients in the vaccine. It contains mRNA, lipids, cholesterol, 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, tromethamine, tromethamine hydrochloride, acetic acid, sodium acetate and sucrose.
It does not contain human aborted fetal cells, triton X-100, thimerosal or aluminum in its ingredients.
FETAL CELLS IN VACCINE DEVELOPMENT
Cloned fetal cells (not fetal tissue) are sometimes used in the development, confirmation or production process to make vaccines – including the COVID-19 vaccine (here, here). The Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are not manufactured using human cells, but have been used for vaccination tests.
Human embryonic kidney cells (HEK) are not fetal cells derived from recent abortions, but from cell lines derived from decades old fetal cells (below you can see more details on this).
None of the completed COVID-19 vaccines used in the US contain actual HEK cells (here, here), so it is not correct to describe it as a component of the vaccine.
TRITIONX-100
Trition X –100 or octylphenol ethoxylate is an ingredient found in some flu vaccines (here, here).
Dr. Vincent Iannelli, a certified pediatrician, explains in his blog here that this ingredient is a wetting agent (which reduces the surface tension of fluids) and a stabilizer used in flu vaccines. He says the spermicide confusion comes from users who confuse two similar but different ingredients (octoxynol-9, a spermicide, and octoxynol-10, another type of Triton X-100 nonionic surfactant used in vaccines) .
THIMEROSAL
Thimerosal is a preservative that contains mercury. It is used in multidose vials of some flu vaccines to prevent the growth of bacteria, as explained here and here by the CDC.
Methylmercury is a type of mercury found in some species of fish, and high levels of exposure can be toxic to humans. Thimerosal contains ethylmercury, which is less likely to be harmful as it is removed from the body faster than methylmercury (here).
The CDC explains here that vaccines containing Thimerosal are very safe with the most common side effects causing small reactions such as redness and swelling at the injection site.
ALUMINUM
The FDA explains on its website here that aluminum salts are added to some vaccines as an adjuvant (a facilitator or supplement) used to enhance the immune response. Vaccines containing an aluminum additive have been shown to be safe for six decades, according to the FDA.
The CDC lists here various vaccines that contain aluminum. Aluminum is not an ingredient in Pfizer-BioNTech and Modern COVID-19 vaccines, as explained by an expert here.
VERDICT
Untrue. The COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna do not contain the ingredients listed in the claim.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.