“No Evidence of Risk” (FDA Pt. 2)

Beginning in 1632, a convent of young Ursuline nuns made startling claims – from seeing dead priests, to being possessed by a horde of Satan’s demons. A team of priests presided over daily exorcisms – some of them public – for months…until the blame was directed toward one man: F ...  Show more

On Halloween Eve, 1938 Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds aired on CBS radio. It detailed an alien invasion so realistic that, according to legend, it caused widespread panic among listeners. People really believed aliens were invading Earth. The mass hysteria is an important pa ...  Show more

#206

Melissa and Jam address a listener's question about the FDA's reliability in approving products. They discuss the intersection of chemistry, government, and society, focusing on FDA's role in regulating food and drugs. The episode includes a deep d ...

In 1960, FDA scientist Frances Oldham Kelsey is tasked with approving an application for a mild sedative to be sold in America. The drug is popular across Europe and is touted to be free of side effects, so this should be a routine job. But something doesn't sit right with France ...  Show more

It’s worse than you think. Dr. Jane Ruby, a scientist with over 20 years of experience in regulatory processes for drug approval with the FDA, explains several important ways that the FDA and the drug companies violated the most basic safety protocols at every stage of the develo ...  Show more

A young woman suddenly becomes critically ill; her symptoms worsen over time, eventually leaving her unable to walk. Then a bone marrow test reveals the cause; arsenic. Investigators now had to determine if the poisoning was caused by groundwater contamination or something much m ...  Show more