The early part of the 20^th century saw a dramatic increase in industrialization and urbanization, which, in turn, increased threats to health in the form of the sale of adulterated and contaminated food products and pharmaceuticals. The Food and Drug Administration was created to administer the Pure Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Additional concerns and legislative action continue to this day.

Later acts that continue to respond to this sort of threat include:

- The Superfund Act administered by the Environmental Protection Agency to deal with long abandoned industrial hazards.

- The US Department of Agriculture recently overhauled the meat inspection program to include modern laboratory methods for detecting bacteria in meat.

- The Occupational Safety and Health Act is enforced by the Department of Labor and addresses occupational threats to health.

- A debate that illustrates the tension in public health decision-making is the current one about whether the FDA authority extends to tobacco. The agency proposed regulations, the industry took it to court, and the Supreme Court ruled (March, 2000) that because Congress has declined to pass specific authorization, the FDA was overstepping its bounds.