[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 22146-22148]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THIMEROSAL AND NEURODEVELOP-
                            MENTAL 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.

[[Page 22147]]

  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.
  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., Ph.D.,
                                   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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