[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 15, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H2174-H2176]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INSTANT RECALL ON ANY VACCINE GOING INTO OUR CHILDREN THAT HAS MERCURY 
                                 IN IT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I had a prepared statement that I 
was going to use, but it has not arrived, so I will speak 
extemporaneously tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, vaccinations have been a real plus for this country. We 
had a lot of diseases that used to be so feared, like polio and 
diptheria that we do not have to worry about anymore, and it is because 
we have vaccinations that really help protect our young people.
  But along with the positives, unfortunately there are some negatives, 
and parents across this country ought to be aware of the negatives as 
well as the positives. That is why my committee has been holding a 
number of hearings and has had the health agencies of this country 
before the committee numerous times.
  We have had what is called an explosion of autism in America. Autism, 
that is a disease most people are not familiar with unless it has hit 
their family, and that is where one day your child is apparently normal 
or appears to be normal, and the next day he is running around flapping 
his arms, cannot speak clearly anymore, bangs his head against the 
wall, has severe bowel disorders and other related things.
  We have had an explosion, an absolute explosion. Twenty years ago, 1 
in 10,000 children in America were considered autistic. Today it is 1 
in 500. In some parts of the country, it is as many as 1 in 150. Now 
think about that; 1 in 150 children in some parts of this country is 
autistic. We need to find out why.
  Our committee has held hearings, and we think we have some things 
that need to be thoroughly investigated, and one of those is why do we 
have vaccines going into children's arms and into adults arms that 
contain mercury. Mercury.
  Mercury is a toxic substance that we have taken out of our topical 
dressings. It used to be that you could buy creams that had mercury in 
them because it was a preservative. They said because it could leach 
into the bloodstream through the skin, they thought it was safer to 
take it out of all topical dressings. They still use it as a 
preservative in many of the vaccinations given to our children.
  Mercury is being injected, as I speak tonight, into children across 
this country along with the vaccinations they are getting.
  Other substances being injected into our children are formaldehyde 
and aluminum, metals that could be and substances that could be toxic. 
We need to find out why.
  I, for one, believe that my grandson became autistic at least in part 
because he received vaccinations. He received 9 in 1 day, and 6 of 
those contained mercury. Mercury has a cumulative effect in the body. 
It gets in the brain. So I believe that 1 week after he received these 
vaccinations, he became autistic.
  He spoke normally. He acted like any other normal child. Yet within 1 
week he was running around flapping his arms, walking on his toes, 
because he had severe bowel disorder, banging his head against the 
wall, and he could not speak clearly anymore, and he still has those 
problems.
  Mr. Speaker, if what we are putting into our children's bodies along 
with the vaccinations is causing that, something has to be done.
  I asked the Food and Drug Administration when they were before our 
committee, do we have vaccines that do not contain mercury or these 
substances? They said, yes, we do, in single-vial doses. Now, what does 
that mean? It means that if we have single-vial doses that do not 
contain the mercury, the child is not going to get the mercury.
  But what happens is, the pharmaceutical companies are putting out 
many shots into one vial, and because of that they have to have these 
preservatives in there, and in many cases they put several vaccines 
together. And so they have these preservatives in there to make sure 
that the vaccine does not become contaminated.
  If we went to single-vial vaccines and shots, we would eliminate, in 
my opinion, a large part of the problem. But that is why this country 
needs to have continued oversight over our health agencies, because our 
health agencies have not really been following up on these vaccines to 
find out if there are any side effects that are really going to hurt 
our kids for the rest of their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I will say tonight that mercury should be taken out of 
every vaccine in the country, and it should be taken out today. There 
should be an instant recall on any vaccine that is going into our 
children that has mercury in it.
  We have enough vaccines that do not contain these toxic chemicals and 
substances, so our children can be inoculated in a safe and effective 
way, and yet our health agencies continue to let these companies use 
mercury in these vaccines.
  Today as I speak, as I said, children are being vaccinated with these 
toxic chemicals in them. It is unconscionable.
  Mr. Speaker, we have what is called SIDS deaths, and they have said 
it is because children go to bed and they sleep on the wrong side, and 
there is no explanation why they do not. My granddaughter received a 
Hepatitis B shot, and within an hour she quit breathing. We had to you 
rush her to the hospital, and she was blue in the face.
  Had she been in bed, the next morning she would have been dead; but 
my daughter saw her and saw her turning blue and rushed her to the 
hospital. It was a reaction to the Hepatitis B shot.
  Mr. Speaker, let me just say in conclusion, we will have more of 
these 5-minute special orders, every parent in the country ought to 
start reading the inserts on those vaccines. Vaccinations are 
important, but we want to make sure we know what is going into our 
children's bodies.


Committee on Government Reform's Oversight Activities of Vaccine Safety

  During the 106th Congress the Full Government Reform Committee and 
two of its Subcommittees initiated investigations looking at several 
vaccine issues. There are increasing concerns that the risks related to 
vaccines are not widely known or acknowledged. Vaccines have been 
hailed as the greatest public health advance in the twentieth century. 
I have said from the outset of our investigation that I am not anti-
vaccine. Rather I support the appropriate use of safe vaccines that 
have been thoroughly tested. I support improved information sharing 
with parents and patients regarding the benefits and risks of 
immunization and respect the concerns that have been raised by 
thousands of families across the United States about vaccine adverse 
events. I also support increased clinical research looking at the long-
term safety of vaccines, including their potential link to chronic 
conditions such as autism, diabetes, attention-deficit disorder, and 
asthma.
  Vaccines are the only drugs Americans are mandated to receive as a 
condition of attendance at day care and schools and in some

[[Page H2175]]

cases as a condition of employment. Because each state bases its 
mandatory immunizations on Federal recommendations, it is very 
important that adequate oversight be provided by Congress to insure the 
integrity of the vaccine programs.
  At this time, there is a paucity of research looking at long-term 
safety of any vaccine. This was acknowledged last year in a report to 
Congress from the Institute of Medicine, ``Few vaccines for any disease 
have been actively monitored for adverse effects over long periods of 
time.


      Conflict of Interest on Vaccine-Related Advisory Committees

  The Committee investigated two vaccine-related advisory committees. 
We were concerned that the pharmaceutical industry has too much 
influence over these committees. From the evidence we found, I think 
they do. The first committee was the FDA's Vaccines and Related 
Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC). This Committee makes 
recommendations on whether new vaccines should be licensed. The second 
committee is the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices 
(ACIP). This committee recommends which vaccines should be included on 
the Childhood Immunization Schedule. We focused on the handling of the 
rotavirus vaccine. The FDA approved it for use in August 1998. The CDC 
recommended it for universal use in March 1999. Serious problems 
cropped up shortly after it was introduced. Children started developing 
serious bowel obstructions. The vaccine was pulled from the U.S. market 
in October 1999. We learned that during the FDA's committee meetings 
there was concern raised about adverse events. They were aware of 
potential problems. Five children out of 10,000 developed bowel 
obstructions. There were also concerns about children failing to thrive 
and developing high fevers, which as we know from other vaccine 
hearings, can lead to brain injury. Even with all of these concerns, 
the committee voted unanimously to approve it.

  At the CDC's committee, there was a lot of discussion about whether 
the benefits of the vaccine really justified the costs. Even though the 
cost-benefit ratio was questioned, the Committee voted unanimously to 
approve it.
  We learned that waivers had been granted to individuals who had 
financial ties to the industry. This is troubling. At the time the 
Rotashield vaccine was approved and recommended for universal use, the 
following conditions existed: (1) That members, including the chair, of 
the FDA and CDC advisory committees who make these decisions own stock 
in drug companies that make vaccines. (2) That individuals on both 
advisory committees own patents for vaccines under consideration or 
affected by the decisions of the committee. (3) That three out of five 
of the members of the FDA's advisory committee who voted for the 
rotavirus vaccine had conflicts of interest that were waived. (4) That 
seven individuals of the 15 member FDA advisory committee were not 
present at the meeting, two others were excluded from the vote, and the 
remaining five were joined by five temporary voting members who all 
voted to license the product. (5) That the CDC grants conflict-of-
interest waivers to every member of their advisory committee a year at 
a time, and allows full participation in the discussions leading up to 
a vote by every member, whether they have a financial stake in the 
decision or not. (6) That the CDC's advisory committee has no public 
members--no parents have a vote in whether or not a vaccine belongs on 
the childhood immunization schedule. the FDA's committee only has one 
public member.
  Families need to have confidence that the vaccines that their 
children take are safe, effective, and truly necessary. Doctors need to 
feel confident that when the FDA licenses a drug, that it is really 
safe, and that the pharmaceutical industry has not influenced the 
decision-making process. Doctors place trust in the FDA and assume that 
if the FDA has licensed a drug, it's safe to use. I am concerned that 
this trust has been violated.
  We will be continuing this investigation in the 107th Congress to see 
if the problems have been resolved. Last week, every member of Congress 
received a well-meaning letter with an attachment addressing some of 
the ``anti-vaccine'' messages. The letter states the information was 
prepared by the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. What the letter 
fails to inform members of Congress is that the document was prepared 
by a Center at Children's lead by someone with direct financial ties to 
the vaccine industry. I am concerned about this subterfuge. It is 
important that individuals who are promoting vaccine safety declare 
their conflicts of interest. To not do so, in my opinion is unfair to 
those who receive the information. This omission of corporate 
sponsorship calls into question the accuracy and balance of the 
information provided.


Institute of Medicine's Measles-Mumps Rubella Vaccine and Autism Report

  The Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Committee on Immunization Safety 
Review released the ``Measles-Mumps-Rebella Vaccine and Autism Report'' 
in April. I was troubled by the headlines and news reports which all 
stated that the IOM Committee found no connection between the MMR 
vaccine and autism. The IOM Committee also noted in its conclusions 
that it could not exclude the possibility that MMR vaccine could 
contribute to Autism Spectrum Disorder. I would urge all of you to read 
the entire report, which is available on the National Academy of 
Sciences website.


   The reality is that there was insufficient scientific evidence to 
conclusively prove or disprove a connection between the MMR vaccine and 
                            acquired autism

  We have substantial parental observation, which should never be 
discounted. And we have several case studies and laboratory evidence 
showing measles virus in the guts of autistic children who have bowel 
dysfunction. And we also have several population-level epidemiological 
studies. While the IOM Committee noted that the epidemiological studies 
do not support an association at a population level, their report 
stated, ``it is important to recognize the inherent methodological 
limitations of such studies in establishing causality.''
  In essence, the studies that have been published and held up by the 
public health community as ``proof'' against Dr. Wakefield's hypothesis 
can never answer the question of whether or not MMR vaccine is linked 
to autism in some children. That is why we need to insist that the 
National Institutes of Health fund independent research to replicate 
Dr. Wakefield's research.
  At this time, we do not have enough research to make an evidence-
based final conclusion. What we have is a clear indication that a 
problem exists for some children. We need to do the research to get our 
arms around that problem, so that we can prevent any further escalation 
of this epidemic of acquired autism.
  When the Institute of Medicine formed their Committee, we were 
assured that there were be no one on the Committee who had ties to the 
vaccine industry. I was disturbed to learn that the Committee sent this 
report out for review and comment prior to becoming final to numerous 
individuals who have ties to the vaccine industry including individuals 
with financial ties to the manufacturer of the MMR vaccine.


                          The Autism Epidemic

  Two weeks ago, I stood in support of House Resolution 91, which 
recognizes the importance of increasing the awareness of autism 
spectrum disorders and supporting programs for greater research and 
improved treatment of austism and improved training.
  Autism rates have skyrocketed. Conservative estimates suggest 1 in 
500 children in the United States is autistic. However, those rates are 
dramatically higher in some places such as Brick Township, New Jersey, 
where the rates are 1 in 150.

  In the first quarter of this year a child was diagnosed with autism 
every three hours in California. Last year, that rate was every six 
hours.
  Indiana is seeking a similar trend in increased rates. One in 400 
children in Indiana is autistic. Between December 1999 and December 
2000, requests for special education services for children with autism 
went up twenty-five percent. That is a twenty-five percent increase in 
requests for taxpayer provided services in one year.
  We have a national and potentially worldwide epidemic on our hands. 
It cannot simply be better reporting or an expanded definition of 
autism.


                         My Personal Experience

  Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder is devastating to families. I know 
this from personal experience. My grandson, Christian, was born healthy 
and developed normally. His story is not much different than that of 
the thousands of families we have heard from

[[Page H2176]]

over the last year. He met his developmental milestones. He was 
talkative. He enjoyed being with people. He interacted socially.
  Then Christian received his routine immunizations as recommended by 
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His life changed 
dramatically and rapidly. He received five different shots and one oral 
vaccine all in the same day. We now know that many of these shots 
contained the mercury containing preservative, thimerosal. He may have 
been exposed to forty-one times the level of mercury than is considered 
safe by Federal guidelines for a child his size. This was on top of 
other mercury exposure from earlier vaccinations. This issue of having 
mercury in children's vaccine is a very troubling issue and I intend to 
continue this discussion in Special Orders every week.
  Within ten days of receiving his vaccines, Christian was locked 
inside the world of autism. Is it related to the MMR vaccine? Is it 
related to the mercury toxicity? Is it the environment, including food 
allergies? Or is autism purely genetic?
  As with any epidemic, we need to focus significant energy and 
research on containing it. We need to located the cause or causes. We 
need to be aggressive in developing and making available treatments for 
both the behavioral issues and the biomedical illnesses related to this 
condition. Last week I chaired two days of hearings to ask experts and 
public health officials how they have responded to this epidemic.


                          Show Me the Science

  Some of the scientists and public health officials that have come 
before the Committee would have us believe that a child's regression 
into autism within a short time of vaccination is purely a coincidence. 
However their opinion is not based on scientific evidence, but on their 
own desire to protect vaccine policy. In fact, our Government has 
funded very little research looking at the long-term safety of vaccines 
and has funded no clinical research looking at the potential connection 
between autism and vaccines.

  I don't want to leave the impression that I am an ``anti-vaccine'' 
because I am not. Vaccines against serious infectious diseases such as 
polio and smallpox have saved thousands of lives. I support the use of 
needed vaccines that have been thoroughly evaluated for safety and 
efficacy and have been tested extensively.
  As Chairman of the Government Reform Committee, I have conducted 
several hearings on vaccine safety issues and the potential connection 
between childhood vaccines and the autism epidemic. We have heard from 
a lot of witnesses on both sides of the issue. One common thread in 
testimonies of dozens of witnesses is that to date there is a very 
little research in this area.
  Autism and vaccine safety are both very important issues. There is a 
lot of research that needs to be done to get answers about the causes 
of autism and whether or not the MMR vaccine and thimerosal-containing 
vaccines are linked to the onset of acquired autism. Our health 
agencies can no longer hide their heads in the sand and refuse to 
acknowledge that we have an epidemic and that in our well-meaning 
desire to protect the public at large from infectious diseases, that we 
may have created this epidemic of a chronic and life-long disease.

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