U.S.
Food and Drug Administration
FDA Consumer magazine
November-December 2002
Table of Contents
New counterterrorism legislation requires the FDA to implement actions that include greater oversight of imported foods and drugs. A new Web site (www.fda.gov/oc/bioterrorism/bioact.html) has the complete text of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 as well as background on how the FDA plans to implement the law, signed by President Bush in June. In addition, the site features links to various dockets so anyone interested can comment on proposed regulations related to the bioterrorism law.
Also new to the FDA's Web site is a portal page that makes it easy for FDA-regulated companies to find information needed to comply with agency regulations. At www.fda.gov/oc/industry/, the page offers direct links to guidance documents, inspection references, import information, warning letters, and other topics useful for regulated industries. Companies can use the page to contact the FDA with questions, or to submit comments electronically about proposed FDA regulations.
Prescription and over-the-counter medicines can do wonders to treat disorders such as high blood pressure and serious infections. But all drugs carry risks along with their benefits. To help consumers make informed decisions about using medicines, the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research has compiled several helpful publications on a new Web site called Consumer Education: What You Should Know About Buying and Using Drug Products. Among the site's offerings:
Several of the materials are offered in Spanish, and the site also has links to useful information from other agencies about using drug products wisely.
It's not the most pleasant of tasks, but placing a loved one in a nursing home is an obligation many of us will face. It's a critical decision that requires considerable homework. But there's help at Nursing Home Compare, a Web site that offers detailed information about the performance of every nursing home certified by Medicare and Medicaid. For example, the site lists:
The site also has information about Medicare eligibility, claims and appeals.
Lead is a highly toxic metal that was used for many years in paints and other household products, especially in houses built before 1978. Lead has been linked to a range of adverse health effects, from behavioral problems to learning disabilities, and even seizures and death. At greatest risk are children under age 6.
To help explain lead contamination, the Environmental Protection Agency has created a Web site at www.epa.gov/lead/ that tells how to determine if your home has lead and what do to if it is found. Typically, household environmental lead contamination is found in deteriorating lead-based paints, and in lead-contaminated dust and soil. The EPA site suggests some simple steps to help protect your family from these hazards.
For those who want to delve deeper into the science of environmental lead, the site includes a number of technical reports, including ones that examine the extent of lead hazards, lead removal, and the link between blood lead concentrations and environmental lead exposure.
John Henkel is a member of the FDA's Website Management Staff.