H.R. 10790 – Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act of 1968

Prior to 1968, control of radiation-emitting electronic devices was left to state and local governments, whose regulations proved both inconsistent and ineffective. This was highlighted by General Electric's 1967 recall of 90,000 television sets believed to emit dangerous levels of radiation. Congress soon proposed a federal radiation control bill. The hearings revealed the general lack of data on the harms of radiation exposure and the vast amount of unnecessary radiation that Americans were exposed to each year. As enacted on October 18, 1968, the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act authorized the Food and Drug Administration to set federal radiation standards, to monitor compliance, and to conduct research.