About Us

The Food and Drug Administration touches the lives of virtually every American every day.  FDA is a public health agency, charged with protecting American consumers by enforcing the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and several related public health laws.  It is FDA's job to see that the food we eat is safe and wholesome, the cosmetics we use won't hurt us, the medicines and medical devices we use are safe and effective, and that radiation-emitting products, such as microwave ovens, won't do us harm.  Feed and drugs for pets and farm animals also come under FDA scrutiny.  FDA also ensures that all of these products are labeled truthfully with the information that people need to use them properly.


FDA is one of our nation's oldest consumer protection agencies.  Its approximately 9,000 employees monitor the manufacture, import, transport, storage, and sale of $1 trillion worth of products each year.  It does that at a cost to the taxpayer of about $3 a person.

FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is responsible for ensuring the safety and effectiveness of medical devices and eliminating unnecessary human exposure to man-made radiation from medical, occupational and consumer products.  There are thousands of types of medical devices, from heart pacemakers to contact lenses.  Radiation-emitting products regulated by FDA include microwave ovens, video display terminals, and medical ultrasound and x-ray machines.  CDRH accomplishes its mission by:

•  reviewing requests to research or market medical devices
• collecting, analyzing, and acting on information about injuries and other experiences in the use of medical devices and radiation-emitting electronic products
• setting and enforcing good manufacturing practice regulations and performance standards for radiation-emitting electronic products and medical devices
• monitoring compliance and surveillance programs for medical devices and radiation-emitting electronic products
• providing technical and other nonfinancial assistance to small manufacturers of medical devices