The FDA protects public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of which items?

• A. Drugs, biological products, and medical devices; foods, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.
• B. Drugs only.
• C. Drugs, biological products, medical devices; foods, cosmetics; and products that emit radiation.
• D. Air quality standards.

Answer: (C)

The FDA protects public health by regulating a broad range of products to ensure safety, efficacy, and security. The categories include drugs, biological products (like vaccines and other biologics), and medical devices because they directly affect health and require proven safety and effectiveness. It also covers foods and cosmetics to ensure they are safe for consumption and use, and products that emit radiation to limit exposure and prevent harm from radiation sources. This combination—that spans medicines, biologics, devices, food, cosmetics, and radiation-emitting products—captures the scope of the FDA’s mission. Air quality standards, by contrast, fall under other agencies, like the EPA, not the FDA.