Based on the assumption that human papillomavirus (HPV) leads to cervical cancer, a vaccine was developed and marketed to prevent HPV infection. The catch, of course, is that we will have to wait some 30 to 50 years to see if the vaccine actually prevents cancer — because that is the length of time from an HPV infection to the development of cervical cancer.

The first HPV vaccine to come to market was Gardasil. It was promoted to doctors as a way to prevent four high-risk strains of HPV, thereby lowering cervical cancer rates. Ads for Gardasil soon flooded print and television media. I even remember one in which a young girl asked her mother: “Why wouldn’t anyone want to prevent cervical cancer?”

But nowhere on the package insert was it stated that Gardasil prevented cervical cancer. Once again, the reason that can’t be claimed is that it takes decades from a diagnosis of HPV infection for cervical cancer to develop. And because there were no randomized prospective studies conducted prior to FDA approval, it will take at least two to three decades to see if cervical cancer rates fall due to vaccination.

When Gardasil was first released, Merck — the company that manufactures and markets it — was supposed to conduct safety studies to determine if the vaccine was safe for the general population. Such studies should compare a new drug against a placebo so that researchers can monitor the drug for adverse effects.

But as occurs with many drug studies (and all vaccine studies) the placebo used in the Merck preapproval studies was not a true placebo. Gardasil contains an aluminum substance called an adjuvant. These substances, which are found in many vaccines, are used to stimulate the immune system, and are thought to help the vaccine become more reactive to the immune system so that antibodies can be produced to provide immunity.

For more than two decades, I have been writing and lecturing about the problem of aluminum adjuvants, which are toxic to the human body. Studies have shown that when they are injected, 100 percent of the aluminum is absorbed. Aluminum is a neurotoxin that can alter or even destroy neurologic tissue. Researchers have linked aluminum toxicity to the development of serious neurological diseases, including Alzheimer’s.

Keep in mind that Gardasil is not the only childhood vaccination that contains an aluminum adjuvant. It’s also found in the hepatitis B, DTaP, Hib, and pneumococcal vaccines. When you add up the amount of aluminum injected into children, it exceeds every safety limit set by regulatory agencies.

In addition, aluminum becomes more toxic when other metals, such as mercury, are present. Mercury is still used in many vaccines such as those for flu, tetanus, and meningitis.

Merck did not conduct proper safety studies and only compared Gardasil to faux placebos that contained aluminum. Therefore, when side effects were similar in both groups, Merck’s marketing team proclaimed that there were no significant adverse effects from the vaccine. It’s a textbook example of how to hide safety data and manipulate consumers.

If the FDA was doing its job, it would have demanded that Merck do the appropriate safety studies on Gardasil and compare it to a real placebo.