Doctor Frank Engley a researcher and microbiologist who served on boards with the Centers for Disease Control, the FDA, and EPA throughout the 70s and 80s. The investigation continues with the debate over whether a preservative in many vaccines causes autism. Some people we talked to say the Centers for Disease Control can't afford admit that thimerosal could pose a grave risk.

"The CDC has become such a corrupt arm of Pharma. They aren't doing their job they are promoting vaccines instead of protecting the American people. I have lost all confidence in them. They know this is going on. I have been to meetings where they say we should celebrate autism," said Linda Weinmaster. "I'm going Oh yeah. I celebrate being under attack by my own child. Part of the cover up. They have a lot of people that are going to lose a lot of pensions people are going to go to prison over this. That's what they are covering up. Its all about money."

And Weinmaster may have evidence to back up that claim. Safeminds, an organization trying to rid vaccines of mercury, filed a freedom information act request which revealed details of a closed door meeting in June 2000 where CDC officials and pharmaceutical industry leaders talked about thimerosal.The minutes of the meeting show Dr. David Johnson, a member of the advisory committee on immunization practices or ACIP, said he was afraid of possible dangers from thimerosal and will only give his grandson thimerosal-free vaccines.

In front of the meeting, Dr. Johnson says, "Our first male in the line of the next generation and I do not want that grandson to get a thimerosal-containing vaccine until we know better what is going on."

"The CDC is a lost cause. They are serving the drug industry. They are not serving us. So until congress will step in or enough critical mass realizes what a scam the vaccine policy has been until there is a mass refusal of vaccines will anything change," Dr. David Ayoub.

"I am afraid they have a tremendous amount of pressure being brought to bear by the medical profession, by the pediatricians, by congress, and by industry, and so they are under pressure&and someday they will have to live with the fact with what they said is wrong," Dr. Frank Engley.

"As long at the CDC who sit on their advisory committees have connections to the drug companies. I think they are going to continue to make decisions in favor of profits for the drug companies and not the health of the citizens," said Dr. Ayoub.

Dr. Engley says the FDA knew about the dangers of thimerosal back in the 70s and 80s, when he served on its boards.

"Industries did not comment. They thought it was just generally going away. And it practically did. They came out with another report. The FDA about eight years later, and about 1998." Dr. Engley said.

"I would say to you, the FDA is partly to blame for the mecuricals still being on the market all that length of time. If they would have followed through with our 1982 report, vaccines would have been freed of thimerosal and all this autism as they tell me would not have occurred. But as it is, it all occurred," said Dr. Engley.

I showed this quote from Dr. Engley to Dr. Miles with MU's Thompson Center. Miles was once a student of Dr. Engley when he taught at MU. "Dont ask me about Dr. Engley. A-I got to do my job He says in his studies. M-I don't want to comment on Dr. Engley. He is an old man that can rest on his laurels&or whatever he is resting on," Dr. Judith Miles.

KOMU's sent this list of 13 questions to the CDC. I asked them a range of questions, from the influence of pharmaceutical companies on CDC policies, to the safety of thimerosal. I also asked the CDC to comment on the claims made by Dr. Engley and Dr. Haley. I told them we would share my questions and the CDC's answers with our viewers. The CDC did not directly answer any of my questions. A spokesperson stated a dialog with Dr. Haley would be counterproductive. As for specific questions about Thimerosal, that spokesperson referred me to general online information about the compound on the CDC web site.That information stated no harmful effects of thimerosal have ever been shown.

But Dr. Miles defends the relationship between researchers and drug makers.

"Part of the reason why we have become dependent on finding funds any place we can because money for research from the federal government is very minimal. Just this week the President vetoed a large budget bill that is definitely going to hamper research. It is a matter of finding funding where it is possible to find it," Dr. Miles.

Miles has conducted her own thimerosal study, which showed no link between one particular vaccine with thimerosal and autism. Johnson and Johnson, which makes the RHoGam vaccine she studied, funded the study.

"The study I did needed a sponsor. It wasn't a big study. It wasn't a fancy study. It wasn't something I could go to NIH and get funded," said Dr. Miles.

Miles insists while it seems like a conflict of interest. She set up the study to eliminate that.

"The did not see the results before they were published. They had no interest or request of any sort of insight on to anything that I was doing. There only requirement was if they paid to do the research study then they had to be published," said Dr. Miles. "So it was a very rewarding experience. It meant having the research done It meant having a full time data person for almost two years and that is what was paid for."

"If parents don't want to believe that study they can read some other study," Dr. Miles said.

In the next and final installment of the series, we look at where Missouri politicians stand in the vaccine debate. Be sure to watch tomorrow night at ten for part four. And check out our website for extended interviews and behind the scenes stories.