Congressional Hearings and Reports

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 Mercury in Medicine: Taking Unnecessary Risks" was published simultaneously.

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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