Congressman Dan Burton (R-Indiana), Chairman of the Committee on
Government Reform initiated an investigation into Federal vaccine
policy in August of 1999. The investigation led to the numerous
congressional hearings and a staff reports. The Majority Staff
report of August 2000, on the conflicts of interest in vaccine
policy making is quite informative and is available
here.
Over the
course of three years, the Committee would hold almost a dozen
hearings regarding vaccines and vaccine policy. We have made
available a few of the hearings dealing with Thimerosal. The
following documents are quite voluminous but well worth the time
invested to read them.
On
June 15, 2000 the Committee heard testimony on
FACA: Conflicts of Interest and Vaccine
Development.
On
July 18, 2000 the Committee heard testimony on
Mercury in Medicine - Are We Taking
Unnecessary Risks?
Among the statements from the "Mercury in Medicine - Are We Taking
Unnecessary Risks?" hearing held on July 18, 2000 are these by
respected toxicologist Dr. H. Vasken Aposhian:
"There's
no question that mercury does not belong in vaccines.
There are other compounds
that could be used as preservatives. And everything we know about
childhood susceptibility, neurotoxicity of mercury at the fetus
and at the infant level, points out that we should not have these
fetuses and infants exposed to mercury. There's no need of it in the vaccines."
On April 25-26, 2001 the Committee heard
testimony on
Autism - Why The Increased Rates? A
One-Year Update.
On
April 18, 2002 the Committee heard testimony on
The Autism Epidemic - Is the NIH and CDC
Response Adequate?
On
June 19, 2002 the Committee heard testimony on
The Status of Research Into Vaccine Safety
and Autism.
On
December 10, 2002 the Committee heard testimony on
Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: Reviewing
the Federal Governments Track Record and Charting a Course for the
Future.
The
official report prepared by the staff of the Subcommittee on Human
Rights and Wellness, Committee on Government Reform, United States
House of Representatives was filed and published in
The Congressional Record
of May 21, 2003 detailing the results of the three year
investigation.
This
report and its conclusions are most troubling:
"...However, the Committee, upon a thorough review of the scientific
literature and internal documents from government and industry, did
find evidence that thimerosal did pose a risk.
Thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines in likely related to
the autism epidemic. This epidemic in all probability may have been prevented or curtailed had the FDA not been asleep at the switch
regarding the lack of safety data regarding injected thimerosal and
the sharp rise of infant exposure to this known neurotoxin. Our
public health agencies’ failure to act is indicative of
institutional malfeasance for self-protection and misplaced
protectionism of the pharmaceutical industry"
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Congressional Hearings