The COVID-19 vaccines do not contain aluminum

As millions of Americans continue to wait for their turn to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, misinformation about the vaccines’ safety continues to circulate online.  

A year-old video shared on Instagram makes false claims about the vaccines’ ingredients. The caption of the post describes the featured video as a "Sunday school church lesson," claiming aluminum is "in the vaccine" and "will kill" the brain.

Many users interpreted that to mean harmful amounts of aluminum are in the COVID-19 vaccines. That isn’t true.

The three-minute video involves Lawrence Palevsky, a pediatrician from Northport, N.Y., speaking about the dangers of vaccinations during a public health hearing held by the Connecticut General Assembly on Feb. 19, 2020.

Palevsky, who is involved in the anti-vaccination movement, claims that aluminum nanoparticles in vaccines are able to enter the brain and cause neurodevelopmental problems, asthma, autism and Alzheimer’s disease. He also says the safety of aluminum nanoparticles in vaccines and its effects on the human body has not been evaluated or studied.

This is inaccurate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports small amounts of aluminum, specifically aluminum salts, have been used in vaccines since the 1930s. The aluminum acts as an adjuvant, which helps elicit a stronger immune response from the body.

The CDC says vaccines containing adjuvants like aluminum are "tested for safety and effectiveness in clinical trials before they are licensed for use in the United States, and they are continuously monitored by CDC and FDA once they are approved."

Aluminum is commonly found in nature, with trace amounts present in air, food and water, according to the agency.

Adults on average ingest 7 to 9 milligrams of aluminum per day, and the amount found in a vaccine is equivalent to that found in a liter of baby formula, according to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Research has also shown the levels of aluminum found in vaccines are so low that they can't easily be absorbed by the body, let alone the brain. There has been no evidence of vaccines being the cause of illness of developmental disorders.

Palevsky’s comments came in February 2020, long before we had COVID-19 vaccines.

Featured Fact-check

Facebook posts

stated on January 22, 2020 in a Facebook post

Says a coronavirus patent expired just as there is a "sudden outbreak" and, despite "media fear-mongering," there is already a vaccine available.

But it’s worth noting that none of the three COVID-19 vaccines currently being used in the United States contain any amount of aluminum. All three manufacturers, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, have shared the ingredients list to their vaccines and none have an aluminum adjuvant.

The Sputnik V and AstraZeneca vaccines, which are currently being used in Europe, also do not contain aluminum.

A year-old video being reshared on Instagram claims that aluminum nanoparticles in vaccines cause a variety of illnesses and developmental disorders. The caption implies the COVID-19 vaccines also contain aluminum and contribute to health issues.

Although several vaccines do contain a miniscule amount of aluminum, research has found it’s not enough to be absorbed by the body. Humans already ingest amounts of aluminum just by living their everyday lives as it can be found in food, water and the air.

There is no evidence that any vaccine can cause people to experience illnesses or developmental disorders.

None of the COVID-19 vaccines currently in use throughout the United States and Europe contain aluminum.  

The claim is False. ​