Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism: TICs & TIMs

Chemical Agents of Opportunity for Terrorism
Training Support Package
Participant Guide
Slide 44
In an effort to give consumers more input into their health management, President
Clinton signed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) in 1994,
removing dietary supplements from any treatment as food (or drugs). While the FDA
could still investigate reports of harm, all aspects of manufacture, claims and advertising
were now left to the product producers. A notation was required that “this statement
[regarding the use of the product] has not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is
not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”
Since that time a number of dietary supplements, most notably ephedra-containing
products, have been investigated or removed from the market because of documented
safety concerns and/or adulteration.
Asian patent medicines (traditional Chinese medicines) have been studied in market
sampling surveys. 1/3 contain undeclared pharmaceutical agents, including some
medications banned for human use. A variety of heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic)
occur in these and other ethnic medicines.
In 2008, the FDA received reports of illness attributed to excess selenium and chromium
in one brand of dietary supplement through incorporation of too much of these
ingredients in the manufacturing process.
The unregulated foreign market and internet as a source of medication is another
potential mechanism for introduction of contaminated products.
December 2008 Version 2.0 Page 300