Key Facts
• June 24: CDC pre-published a report on its website.
• June 26: Anti-vaccine group to present the report to CDC’s vaccine committee.
• The report cites a 2008 study from the journal Neurotoxicology.
• Researcher Robert Berman denies involvement, calls the study fabricated.
• The report focuses on thimerosal, a vaccine preservative.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s group, Children’s Health Defense, is linked to the report.
• CDC staff published a separate report denying links between thimerosal and autism.
• The disputed study allegedly examined thimerosal’s long-term effects on the brain.
• Berman criticized the misrepresentation of his research findings.
• CDC maintains no evidence links thimerosal to autism or neurodevelopmental disorders.
Summary
A report set to be presented by an anti-vaccine group to the U.S. CDC’s vaccine committee on June 26 has come under scrutiny for citing potentially fabricated research. The report, linked to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Children’s Health Defense, focuses on thimerosal, a vaccine preservative. It references a 2008 study from Neurotoxicology, which researcher Robert Berman has denied authoring or being involved with, calling it fabricated. Berman also criticized the misrepresentation of his actual research, which reached different conclusions. The CDC pre-published the report on June 24 and has since released a separate document affirming no evidence of a connection between thimerosal and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. The controversy highlights ongoing disputes over vaccine safety claims.
