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HR 881 109th Congress House

Mercury-Free Vaccines Act of 2005

Official title: To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to reduce human exposure to mercury through vaccines.

Introduced: July 26, 2005 See on congress.gov
Health Administrative procedureArmed Forces and National SecurityBiological warfareChild health
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Communication in medicineCrime and Law EnforcementDepartment of Health and Human ServicesDrug adulterationDrug approvalsEmergency ManagementEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesGovernment Operations and PoliticsGovernment publicityHealth educationInfluenzaLawLicensesMercury
This bill died when the 109th Congress ended
It never became law before the 109th Congress (2005–2006) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 14, 2005
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Feb 17, 2005
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Feb 17, 2005
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 14, 2005

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Mercury-Free Vaccines Act of 2005 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a banned mercury-containing vaccine to be adulterated. Amends the Public Health Service Act to provide that a vaccine is a banned mercury-containing vaccine if one dose of the vaccine contains 1 or more micrograms of mercury in any form.

Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to declare that an actual or potential bioterrorist incident or other public health emergency makes the administration of such vaccines advisable for a specified period.

Requires the Secretary to prohibit the distribution of banned mercury-containing influenza vaccines that are approved as biological products to: (1) any child under the age of three years old (effective July 1, 2006); (2) pregnant women if the vaccine contains thimerosal (effective July 1, 2006); and (3) any child under the age of six (effective July 1, 2007).

Requires the Secretary to revise the vaccine information included with mercury-containing vaccines to include: (1) a statement that indicates the presence of mercury in the vaccine; (2) information on the availability of any mercury-free or mercury-reduced alternative vaccine and instructions on how to obtain such an alternative vaccine; and (3) a recommendation against administration of any mercury-containing vaccine to a pregnant woman.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) should disseminate, with any vaccine-related information, a recommendation against administration of any thimerosal-containing vaccine to a pregnant woman.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 881: Mercury-Free Vaccines Act of 2005. 109th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-881/
MLA
"H.R. 881: Mercury-Free Vaccines Act of 2005." 109th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-881/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 881, 109th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-881/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 881: Mercury-Free Vaccines Act of 2005](https://openamerica.io/bill/109-HR-881/)
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