Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938
According to, http://www.toxicology.org/gp/fda.asp, the Society of Toxicology website, in 1937 the Massengill pharmaceutical company dispersed Elixir Sulfanilamide. This drug was prescribed generally to anyone who had symptoms of strep throat. Elixir Sulfanilamide contains diethylene glycol, which is a chemical equivalent of antifreeze. There were 107 documented deaths, involving many children, because of the lack in regulations. The Pure Food and Drug Act was deemed to insufficient to protect the public. This tragedy was the critical motivation for the creation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDC) can be found in chapter 9 of title 21 in the United States Code. Congress passed the act in 1938, in effort to protect the well being of the country by controlling the food and medical supply at a federal level. The act permitted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have the authority to carry out legislative obligations. Specifically, the FDA enforced standards that limited the maximum amount of residue levels for unavoidable poisonous substances on food due to pesticides. The FDA website claims to have established laws that provided three types of food standards. These standards include: standard of identity, standard of quality, and standard of regulating the fill of container. Any food that did not meet these FDA standards would be, “misbranded.” The Act also regulates the pharmaceutical industry to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of drugs manufactured and retailed in the United States. (http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/ProductRegulation/ucm132818.htm)
1954 Pesticide Chemicals Amendment
In 1954 the Pesticide Chemicals Amendment was added to the FFDC, which formally set the restrictions for pesticide deposits on uncooked cultivated products. According to the University of California Press website1, the amendment authorized the FDA and
According to, http://www.toxicology.org/gp/fda.asp, the Society of Toxicology website, in 1937 the Massengill pharmaceutical company dispersed Elixir Sulfanilamide. This drug was prescribed generally to anyone who had symptoms of strep throat. Elixir Sulfanilamide contains diethylene glycol, which is a chemical equivalent of antifreeze. There were 107 documented deaths, involving many children, because of the lack in regulations. The Pure Food and Drug Act was deemed to insufficient to protect the public. This tragedy was the critical motivation for the creation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDC) can be found in chapter 9 of title 21 in the United States Code. Congress passed the act in 1938, in effort to protect the well being of the country by controlling the food and medical supply at a federal level. The act permitted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have the authority to carry out legislative obligations. Specifically, the FDA enforced standards that limited the maximum amount of residue levels for unavoidable poisonous substances on food due to pesticides. The FDA website claims to have established laws that provided three types of food standards. These standards include: standard of identity, standard of quality, and standard of regulating the fill of container. Any food that did not meet these FDA standards would be, “misbranded.” The Act also regulates the pharmaceutical industry to guarantee the safety and effectiveness of drugs manufactured and retailed in the United States. (http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/WhatWeDo/History/ProductRegulation/ucm132818.htm)
1954 Pesticide Chemicals Amendment
In 1954 the Pesticide Chemicals Amendment was added to the FFDC, which formally set the restrictions for pesticide deposits on uncooked cultivated products. According to the University of California Press website1, the amendment authorized the FDA and