[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 16, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H8258-H8259]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THIMEROSAL AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS
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, for the past 2 or 3 years, I have
held hearings on the issue of autism in America. We used to have one
out of 10,000 children that were autistic. That is where they will not
focus on things, they will not talk, they yell, they stamp their feet,
they have chronic diarrhea and constipation, they have all kinds of
physical problems; and their parents lose either complete control over
them or they cannot communicate with them, and it hurts these children
for the rest of their lives, and ultimately they are going to be a
burden on the taxpayers of this country.
It used to be one out of 10,000. Now it is one out of 150. We have an
absolute epidemic of autism in America.
Many scientists who appeared before my committee believe and have
substantial evidence that the mercury that is in vaccinations is a
major contributing cause of this autism.
It used to be you only got one or two vaccinations. When I was a kid,
if you had measles or mumps or anything like that, they would
quarantine the house. Now they give vaccinations for all of that, and
these vaccinations can contain a substance called Thimerosal.
Thimerosal is 50 percent mercury, and children who are going to school
get as many as 25 to 30 vaccinations before the school will let them
enter the front door.
The mercury has a cumulative effect. Once it gets in the brain, it
starts destroying brain tissue and causes all kinds of neurological
problems including autism. Yet the Food and Drug Administration has
never, ever tested Thimerosal. It is used as a preservative. It is 50
percent mercury, they have never tested it, and yet it has been in
vaccines for years.
We fought with them and our health agencies for some time to get that
out of these children's vaccines, and they said they would do it. So
this last week I wrote a letter to the head of the Department of Health
and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, the Secretary of HHS; and I asked
him to give me a list of those vaccinations that still contain mercury,
Thimerosal. We found that 20 of the 43 vaccinations that are
manufactured here in the United States still contain mercury. People
are still having that injected into their bodies, adults as well as
children.
Three or four of the major vaccinations that children get still have
mercury in them, and vaccinations that have not been used, the serum
that has not been used that is still on shelves in many of the doctors'
offices, predate the dates they started taking mercury out of the
children's vaccinations. So the FDA has not ordered them to take the
mercury out, nor did the FDA notify doctors that Thimerosal-free
vaccinations were preferred and that pediatricians should take the
mercury out of their stocks of vaccines.
Recently, I wrote to the Secretary of HHS. I got the list. Twenty of
the 43 currently manufactured vaccines in the U.S. still contain
mercury, still are poisoning our children and adults. Our troops over
in the Persian Gulf and Iraq were getting as many as 11 shots in one
day, and most of those contain Thimerosal-mercury.
We have a rise in Alzheimer's as well, an epidemic of that; and I
believe that that, in large part, is caused by the neurologically
damaging mercury that is in vaccines.
Anyhow, HHS is still allowing vaccinations containing mercury to be
given to children, such as the flu vaccine given to children 6 years
old down to age 23 months. Hepatitis B, diphtheria, and tetanus still
contain Thimerosal. Those are being given to children. Those lots that
are still on the shelves that contain mercury are still being given to
children. The Food and Drug Administration is not doing anything about
it, and everybody in this country ought to be raising cain, not just
because their children have not been damaged, but because all of those
children who are being damaged are going to be a burden in one way or
another on the taxpayers of this country, and it is going to cost us
literally trillions of dollars if this is not stopped.
We have to do everything we can to hold HHS and the vaccine
manufacturers' feet to the fire to get mercury out of vaccinations.
Mercury is a toxic substance. It is toxic to the brain. It hurts
neurologically anybody that has it injected into them. Yet they are
still using it as a preservative. This is something that has to end.
These are the faces of children who have been damaged, just a small
number of them; and we have got to do something about that. How would
you like to have a child, like my grandson, who got nine shots in one
day, seven of which contained mercury, and two days later he became
autistic, a perfectly normal child.
These are things that cannot and must not be tolerated. We need to do
everything we can to put all the pressure we can on our Health and
Human Services agencies, FDA, CDC, and all the rest. Our Secretary of
HHS, Tommy Thompson, who is a fine man, needs to pay attention to this
and get this mercury out of these vaccinations as quickly as possible.
It is hurting us all; not just the children, but the adults as well.
Scientific evidence continues to accumulate regarding the
biologically plausible connection between mercury containing Thimerosal
in vaccines, autism and other neurodevelopment disorders.
As a result, many parents have become understandably concerned about
the safety of childhood vaccines.
And they should be considering that Thimerosal is 50 percent mercury
by weight and mercury is one of the most toxic substances on the
planet.
Even though the FDA asked vaccine manufacturers to remove Thimerosal
from vaccines in 1999, they did not order them to do so.
Nor did FDA notify doctors that Thimerosal-free vaccines were
preferred nor did they recommend that pediatricians remove Thimerosal
vaccines from their stocks.
Recently, I asked the Secretary of HHS, Tommy Thompson and the FDA
Commissioner, Dr. Mark McClellan to provide me with a list of all
commercially available vaccines, including routinely prescribed
pediatric vaccines, which currently contain Thimerosal.
Although they both assured me that none of the routinely recommended
pediatric vaccines contain Thimerosal as an additive, 20 of the 43
currently manufactured and U.S. licensed vaccines still contain this
dangerous substance.
FDA says it recognizes and supports the Public Health Services goal
of reducing exposure to mercury.
If this is so, then they have to do more to ensure that all 43
vaccines currently manufactured and licensed in the United States are
free of Thimerosal.
The most shocking example of a vaccine that still contains Thimerosal
is the Influenza vaccine, commonly known as the Flu Shot, which is
given to millions of Americans every year, adults and children alike.
In fact, last year, the President of the American Academy of
Pediatrics issued a statement saying that the Academy encourages that
the flu vaccine be given to all healthy children aged 6-23 months.
The harm that mercury could potentially inflict on such children is
incalculable.
[[Page H8259]]
In addition, commonly administered vaccines such as the Hepatitis B,
and the Diphtheria and Tetanus shot still contain Thimerosal.
In closing, I would like to enter into the Record a letter from the
FDA Commissioner dated September 11, 2003, listing all of the
Thimerosal containing vaccines.
I urge all Americans to contact the FDA to obtain this information to
ensure that the vaccines that you and your children are getting are as
safe as possible.
I strongly urge the FDA to finally eliminate this dangerous
preservative from all vaccines and destroy any remaining stocks of
Thimerosal containing vaccines in the interest of public safety.
Department of Health & Human Services, Food and Drug
Administration,
Rockville, MD, September 11, 2003.
Hon. Dan Burton,
Chairman, Subcommittee on Wellness and Human Rights,
Committee on Government Reform, House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: This letter is in response to your
letter of July 30, 2003 in which you requested that the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) provide you with a
list of all commercially available vaccines, including
routinely prescribed pediatric vaccines that currently
contain thimerosal.
The enclosed table provides the information you requested.
In an effort to keep the public advised on this issue, we
have posed this information on our FDA website since 2001 at:
www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm. We have been
updating the website as new information becomes available.
We wish to assure you that FDA is committed to help ensure
the safety and effectiveness of all vaccines. Vaccines
continue to prevent serious illness and death, and the
benefits of vaccination continue to outweigh the risks.
Furthermore, FDA does recognize and support the Public Health
Services' goal of reducing exposure to mercury. At this time,
none of the routinely recommended pediatric vaccines (for
children 5 years of age or under) contain thimerosal as a
preservative. The routinely recommended vaccines are:
Haemophilus b Conjugate Vaccine (Hib), Inactivated Polivirus
Vaccine (IPV), Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular
Pertussis Vaccine (DTaP), Hepatitis B Vaccine (HepB),
Measles, Mumps and Rubella Virus Vaccine (MMR), Varicella
Vaccine, and the Pneumococtal Conjugate Vaccine.
Thank you again for your continued interest in the safety
of vaccines. If you have further questions, please let us
know.
Sincerely,
Mark B. McClellan, M.D., PhD.,
Commissioner of Food and Drugs.
TABLE.--THIMEROSAL AND EXPANDED LIST OF VACCINES
[Thimerosal content in currently manufactured U.S. licensed vaccines]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thimerosal
Vaccine/trade name Manufacturer concentration \1\ Mercury
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anthrax: Anthrax vaccine....... BioPort Corporation.... 0..................... 0
DtaP:
Tripedia \2\............... Aventis Pasteur, Inc... <0.0002%.............. <.05 g/0.5 mL dose.
Infanrix................... GlaxoSmithKline........ 0..................... 0
Daptacel................... Aventis Pasteur, Ltd... 0..................... 0
DTaP-HepB-IPV: Pedlarix........ GlaxoSmithKline........ <0.000005%............ <0.0125 g/0.5 mL dose.
DT: No Trade Name.............. Aventis Pasteur, Inc... <0.00012% (single <0.3 g/0.5 mL dose.
dose).
0.01% (multi-dose).... 25 g/0.5 mL dose.
Aventis Pasteur, Ltd... 0.01%................. 25 g/0.5 mL dose.
Td:
No Trade Name.............. Mass Public Health..... 0.0033%............... 8.3 g/0.5 mL dose.
Aventis Pastuer Inc.... 0.01%................. 25 g/0.5 mL dose.
TT: No Trade Name.............. Aventis Pasteur Inc.... 0.01%................. 25 g/0.5 mL dose.
Hib:
ActHIB/OmniHIB \3\......... Aventis Pasteur, SA.... 0..................... 0
HibTITER................... Wyeth-Lederle.......... 0..................... 0
PedvaxHIB liquid........... Merck.................. 0..................... 0
Hib/HepB: COMVAX \4\........... Merck.................. 0..................... 0
Hepatitis B:
Engerix-B.................. GlaxoSmithKline........ <0.0002%.............. <0.5 g/0.5 mL dose.
Recombivex HB \5\.......... Merck..................
Pediatric/adolescent....... ....................... 0..................... 0
Adult (adolescent)......... ....................... 0..................... 0
Adult (adolescent)......... ....................... 0.005%................ 25 g/1.0 mL dose.
Dialysis................... ....................... 0.005%................ 25 g/1.0 mL dose.
Hepatitis A:
Havrix..................... GlaxoSmithKline........ 0..................... 0
Vaqta...................... Merck.................. 0..................... 0
HepA/HepB: Twinrix............. GlaxoSmithKline........ <0.0002%.............. <1 g/mL dose.
IPV:
IPOL....................... Aventis Pasteur, SA.... 0..................... 0
Poliovax................... Aventis Pasteur, Ltd... 0..................... 0
Influenza:
Fluzone \6\................ Aventis Pasteur, Inc... 0.01%................. 25 g/0.5 mL dose.
Fluvirin................... Evans.................. 0.01%................. 24.5 g/0.5 mL dose.
Fluzone (Preservative Free) Aventis Pasteur, Inc... 0.0004%............... 1 g/0.5 mL dose.
0.5 g/0.25 mL dose.
Fluvirin (Preservative Evans.................. <0.0004%.............. <1 g/0.5 mL dose.
Free).
Influenza, live FluMist........ Medimmune.............. 0..................... 0
Japanese Encephalitis \7\: JE- BIKEN.................. 0.007%................ 35 g/1.0 mL dose.
VAX. 17.5 g/0.5 mL dose.
MMR: MMR-II.................... Merck.................. 0..................... 0
Meningococcal: Menomune A, C. Aventis Pasteur, Inc... 0.01% (multidose)..... 25 g/dose.
AC and A/C/Y/W-135. 0 (single dose)....... 0
Pneumococcal:
Prevnar (Pneumo Conjugate). Lederie Laboratories... 0..................... 0
Pneumovax 23............... Merck.................. 0..................... 0
Rabies:
IMOVAX..................... Aventis Pasteur, Inc... 0..................... 0
Rabavert................... Chiron Behring......... 0..................... 0
Typhoid Fever:
Typhim Vi.................. Aventis Pasteur, Inc... 0..................... 0
Typhoid Ty21a.............. Swiss Serum and Vaccine 0..................... 0
Institute.
Varicella: Varivax............. Merck.................. 0..................... 0
Yellow Fever: Y-F-Vax.......... Aventis Pasteur, Inc... 0..................... 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Thimerosal is approximately 50% mercury (Hg) by weight. A 0.01% solution (1 part per 10,000) of thimerosal
contains 50 g of Hg per 1 ml dose or 25 g of Hg per 0.5 mL dose.
\2\ Aventis Pasteur's Tripedia may be used to reconstitute ActHib to form TriHlBit. TriHlBit is indicated for
use in children 15 to 18 months of age.
\3\ OmniHIB is manufactured by Aventis Pasteur but distributed by GlaxoSmithKline.
\4\ COMVAX is not licensed for use under 6 weeks of age because of decreased response to the Hib component.
\5\ Merck's Hepetitis B vaccine for adults (adolescents) is available in both preservative-free and thimerosal-
containing presentations.
\6\ Children under 3 years of age receive a half-dose of vaccine, i.e., 0.25 mL (12.5 g mercury/dose.)
\7\ JE-VAX is manufactured by BIKEN and distributed by Aventis Pasteur, Children 1 to 3 years of age receive a
half-dose of vaccine, i.e., 0.5 mL (17.5 g mercury/dose).
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