Story at-a-glance
- During the 1950s, the inactivated polio vaccine created by Jonas Salk was made using rhesus monkeys that were infected with simian virus 40 (SV40), a monkey virus that was later linked to cancer in humans
- While Salk’s polio vaccine was considered a medical triumph of its time, its manufacturing process involved the use of not only virus-contaminated monkey kidneys but also toxic compounds such as asbestos and formaldehyde
- After mass vaccination began, reports of paralysis and death emerged, and improperly inactivated vaccine had released live virus into 100,000 doses
- SV40 has been linked to cancers in humans; brain tumors and mesotheliomas appear to be the most common tumors associated with SV40, with some studies showing a positivity rate of up to 60%
- SV40 promotors have also been detected in mRNA COVID-19 shots
During the 1950s, the inactivated polio vaccine created by Jonas Salk was made using rhesus monkeys that were infected with simian virus 40 (SV40), a monkey virus1 that was later linked to cancer in humans.2