Report

Immunization Safety Review: SV40 Contamination of Polio Vaccine and Cancer

Released:: January 7, 2003
Type:: Consensus Report
Topic(s):: Children and Families, Diseases, Public Health
Activity:: Immunization Safety Review
Board(s):: Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice

Click on the report cover to the right to view the report.

Some of the polio vaccine administered from 1955-1963 was contaminated with a virus, called simian virus 40 (SV40). The virus came from the monkey kidney cell cultures used to produce the vaccine. Most, but not all, of the contamination was in the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). Once the contamination was recognized, steps were taken to eliminate it from future vaccines. Researchers have long wondered about the effects of the contaminated vaccine on people who received it. Although SV40 has biological properties consistent with a cancer-causing virus, it has not been conclusively established whether it might have caused cancer in humans. Studies of groups of people who received polio vaccine during 1955-1963 provide evidence of no increased cancer risk.

However, because these epidemiologic studies are sufficiently flawed, the committee concluded in this report that the evidence was inadequate to conclude whether or not the contaminated polio vaccine caused cancer. In light of the biological evidence supporting the theory that SV40-contamination of polio vaccines could contribute to human cancers, the committee recommends continued public health attention in the form of policy analysis, communication, and targeted biological research.

Back to SV40 page
Back to the projects mainpage

Report at a Glance

Report Brief. Immunization Safety Review: SV40 Contamination of Polio Vaccine and Cancer (PDF)

Related Reports

Assessing and Improving Value in Cancer Care. Workshop Summary Released: November 4, 2009
Integrative Medicine and the Health of the Public: A Summary of the... Released: November 4, 2009
A Review of the NIOSH Roadmap for Research on Asbestos Fibers and Other... Released: October 29, 2009

Community Perspectives on Obesity Prevention in Children. Workshop Summary Released: October 21, 2009
Childhood Obesity Prevention in Texas. Workshop Summary Released: October 21, 2009
School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children Released: October 20, 2009

Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the... Released: October 15, 2009
Global Issues in Water, Sanitation, and Health. Workshop Summary Released: September 25, 2009
Sustaining Global Surveillance and Response to Emerging Zoonotic Diseases Released: September 22, 2009

back

Other Reports by this Activity

Displaying: 3 of 7 Reports

Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism This eighth and final report of the Immunization Safety Review Committee examines the hypothesis that vaccines, specifically the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and thimerosal-containing vaccines, are causally associated with autism. The committee reviewed the extant published and unpublished epidemiological studies regarding causality and studies of potential biologic mechanisms by which these immunizations might cause autism. The committee concludes that the body of epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between the MMR vaccine and autism.
Released: May 14, 2004
Immunization Safety Review: Influenza Vaccines and Neurological Complications Infection with the influenza virus can have a serious effect on the health of people of all ages, although it is particularly worrisome for infants, the elderly, and people with underlying heart or lung problems. At least 35,000 people die in the United States every year from influenza infection. A vaccine exists (the â€œfluâ€ shot) that can greatly decrease the impact of influenza.
Released: October 6, 2003
Immunization Safety Review: Vaccinations and Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy With current recommendations calling for infants to receive multiple doses of vaccines during their first year of life and with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) the most frequent cause of death during the postneonatal period, it is important to respond to concerns that vaccination might play a role in sudden unexpected infant death.
Released: March 31, 2003