Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Could I get some opinions on the science/pharmacology behind this claim?

"To speak of mercury in vaccines does not make any sense. Vaccines do not contain mercury. The have a preservative that is called thimerosal in whose structure is contained an atom of mercury, but it is not mercury. It is like saying that water [H2O] has oxygen and therefore I can breathe water, because it has oxygen. No, chemically speaking"

The Ask the Expert forums are for students in grade K-12 (and their parents and teachers) who are doing hands-on science projects. If you are doing a hands-on science project, please provide details about your project, including your hypothesis and the experiments you will be conducting. Otherwise, there are many other sites on the web where your questions and comments would be more appropriate.

Thank you,
Madeline
Moderator