Legal Chemistry

Name:
Legal Chemistry
Detailed information:
(forensic chemistry). The application of chemical knowledge and procedures to matters involving civil or criminal law and to all questions where control of chemical compounds, products, or processes is vested in agencies of Federal or state governments. Legal chemistry applies to the following areas:(1) Crime detection: primarily identification of poisons, of bloodstains, writing and typewriter inks, and a host of miscible materials such as textile fibers from clothing, hair, skin, etc. A variety of analytical methods are used in police laboratories, including microscopes, spot tests, color reactions, and spectrophotometry.(2) Food, drugs, and cosmetics are under the control of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. New products and proposed additives must be submitted by the manufacturer and approved before being placed on public sale. Control of the manufacture of illicit drugs is an important phase of legal chemistry.(3) Pesticides are subject to Federal regulation. New products must be registered, labeling must be specific as to chemical composition, active and inert ingredients, and directions for use.(4) Marketing and competitive pricing of chemical products' fair trade agreements and discriminatory practices are also under Federal supervision (Robinson-Patman Act). This includes mergers, tie-in sales, and other merchandising practices.(5) Interstate shipment and labeling of hazardous chemicals is regulated by the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Agency as well as by state and local laws. See Labeling, Toxicology.(6) Patent law comprises a vast body of legal practice and court decisions. The patent system is designed to protect inventions and new discoveries, and most chemical companies retain legal counsel in this field.(7) Water pollution is subject to federal regulations (Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 1956). This covers the discharge of contaminating industrial waste, sewage, oil, etc., into navigable streams and their tributaries as well as into coastal waters.(8) Flammability of fabrics.(9) Use of volatile, toxic solvents on an industrial scale.(10) Air pollution including gases and particulates from industrial stacks and auto exhaust emissions.