House Committee Hears Testimony On Autism
[By Craig Palmer. This is how the American Dental Association reported the autism hearing last week.]
http://www.ada.org/prof/pubs/daily/0204/0419wash.html
Washington — Government disease experts April 18 described an agenda of expanding research into the causes and prevalence of autism at a congressional hearing called to question the government's response to "an epidemic" of disease.
"We are assembling a structure for large scale studies that would not previously have been possible to investigate a disorder that is occurring commonly," Stephen L. Foote, Ph.D., director of the division of neuroscience and basic behavioral science, National Institute of Mental Health, testified. But he cautioned, "there is only so much we can do in a short
period of time" to mount appropriate studies and build a research base.
National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention representatives were questioned by members of the House Committee
on Government Reform and, in an unusual conclusion to a congressional hearing, by parents of autistic children invited from the audience by the acting committee chair to question the government witnesses. The hearing was entitled, "The Autism Epidemic — Is the NIH and CDC Response Adequate?"
"We have an epidemic on our hands and we in Congress need to make sure that the NIH and CDC treat this condition like an epidemic and put their
efforts into doing several things," said Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), committee chair. Researchers should look for the cause or causes of "an epidemic"
devastating to families including his own, "determine how to stop the epidemic in its tracks, evaluate treatment options and look for a cure," he said, urging more government funding of basic and clinical autism research.
Committee members questioned government and advocacy organization witnesses on the causes and prevalence of autism spectrum disorder.
Government witnesses described disease rates as "higher than we previously thought" in certain geographic areas but did not use the word "epidemic" in their descriptions. "We cannot yet generalize a prevalence for the U.S. population," the CDC said. The CDC has funded programs in Arizona, South Carolina, Maryland/Delaware and New Jersey to establish monitoring and tracking of autism.
Rep. Burton questioned the safety of childhood vaccines, calling for an audience show of hands on "how many have children who developed autism
after receiving childhood vaccine?" Most adults in the packed hearing room raised hands. Current scientific evidence neither proves or disproves a link
between mercury-containing preservatives that have been used in childhood vaccines and neurodevelopmental disorders in children, said a National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine report issued last fall.
Rep. Diane Watson (D-Calif.), who has introduced legislation to phase out the use of mercury in dental fillings by 2007 (Today's News April 16, ADA seeks dialogue on proposed amalgam legislation) asked the government research specialists about research on dental amalgam and autism.
"Is there a connection between the fumes from mercury in amalgam and autism?" she asked government witnesses. "I'm wondering whether there is a
connection between mercury fillings and autism."
A representative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention replied, "As far as I know, there are no studies addressing that issue."
Rep. Watson pressed the issue further, telling the NIH-CDC representatives, "Our door is open if you could help us. What we're looking for is any research evidence that would indicate a connection." Rep. Watson's amalgam phase-out bill, HR 4163, was introduced April 10 with Rep. Burton as co-sponsor.
Rep. Burton has asked the NIH to study the safety of low-level medical and dental uses of mercury, including amalgam.
The hearing closed with Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) in the chair and insisting on decorum as he invited selected audience members to take unoccupied committee member seats and "ask the question you would most want to ask" the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about autism. Questions related to vaccine safety, mercury
toxicity, the status and public availability of ongoing research and the government commitment to finding answers.
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