Did u know that there is Mercury In vaccines & parents r questioning mmr safety?

[Guest guest]

Did u know that there is Mercury In vaccines & parents r questioning

mmr safety?

Hi Im Hammond Michigan state rep for Unlocking Autism I

thought this might be a good issue for this sight & also a place to

get some support from any questions or concerns may be addressed to

me @ www.autisminmichigan.homestead.com this is my web sight for my

son it is not finished im still adding stuff & a news group but feal

free to contact me @ my e-mail on this sight ty :-)

Burton on House Floor: Recall any Childrens Vaccines with Mercury

[Dan Burton of Indiana gave this statement to the House of

Representatives on May 15.]

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.

[begin Insert]

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 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 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.