An Inclusive Litany

3/24/97

After airline pilots complained that outdoor laser light shows interfered with safe flying, federal regulators banned them from within 20 miles of a Las Vegas airport. However, it was not the Federal Aviation Administration that came up with the rule, but the Food and Drug Administration. The agency argues that even in instances where lasers are not used for medical care, they are still classified as medical devices and thus within FDA jurisdiction under the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act, Title 21, of Code Part 1000.