History of warning labels in the US

The History of warning labels in the United States began in 1938 when the United States Congress passed a law mandating that food products have a list of ingredients on the label. [ [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003343508_warning06.html "The Seattle Times"] , "Hey, the labels are kind of stupid, but don't say they didn't try to warn you"]

In 1966 the Federal government mandated that cigarette packs have a warning on them from the surgeon general. See Tobacco packaging warning messages. Congress voted in 1973 that products containing “toxic substances” must have labels. In 1985 there was a testimony that wanted record companies to put labels on music that contained sexual or violent lyrics. On March 29, 1990 warning labels were put on music products that contained potentially offensive lyrics, this was done with the agreement of the recording companies. In 1989, alcohol was required to have their surgeon general’s warning.

Several federal agencies are involved in the business of warning-labels, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI warning labels have been appeared since 1975 in rented movies warning people about video piracy.

Types of warning labels

There are three levels of warning, CAUTION, WARNING and DANGER [ Ryas, Meyer,& Sebranek 2006 P. 567 ] :
*Caution indicates a potentially hazardous situation that, if not avoided, may result in minor or moderate injury.
*Warning indicates a potentially hazardous situation that, if not avoided, could result in death or serious injury.
*Danger indicates an imminently hazardous situation that, if not avoided, will result in death or serious injury. This word is limited to the use in the most extreme situations.

Popularity of warning labels

*Warning labels became much more popular after 1992 when Stella Liebeck at the age of 81 won $3 million from McDonald’s after a cup of coffee she purchased was spilled and caused third-degree burns on her leg.

See also

* Warning labels

References

*Ryas Van J., Meyer V.,& Sebranek P. (2006) The Business Writer. Boston
*Charleston, Peter. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003343508_warning06.html "Hey, the labels are kind of stupid, but don't say they didn't try to warn you"] ," The Seattle Times",November 6,2006. Accessed February 23,2008