Which federal agency regulates the safety of medical gas systems?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the federal agency that regulates the safety of medical gas systems due to its role in overseeing products that are involved in healthcare, including medical gases. The FDA’s purview includes the regulation of the manufacture, distribution, and quality control of medical gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, and anesthesia gases. This regulatory oversight ensures that these gases are produced and maintained to the highest safety standards, which is critical in a medical setting where patients' lives depend on their safe and effective use.

The FDA establishes guidelines and standards that must be met by manufacturers of medical gases to ensure their validity and safety for patient use. This includes monitoring compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and ensuring that the gases are free from contaminants and are delivered at the correct pressures and concentrations.

Other federal agencies have different areas of focus: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) primarily deals with public health and disease prevention; the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) focuses on environmental protection and regulations regarding pollutants; and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is aimed at ensuring worker safety in various industries, including healthcare, but does not specifically regulate medical gas systems like the FDA does.