How it started
History
In 1967, the 90th US Congress Subcommittee on Public Health and Welfare of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce held multiple hearings (August 14, September 28, and October 5, 11 and 17) on electronic product radiation control. Those hearings led to the passage of the Radiation Control for Health and Safety Act in 1968. Shortly after the passage of this bill, the US Army created a special joint medical research team at Frankford Arsenal (Philadelphia) known as the Joint Laser Safety Team to study laser biological effects. By the end of 1968, the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) had issued guidance on exposure limits and the State of Illinois had produced the first state regulation on laser systems. With these developments, the industry was concerned of needless government regulations. and as a result, the Laser Industry Association (LIA) was formed.
LIA was founded on February 7, 1968 (1968-02-07) as the Laser Industry Association by industry pioneers including Theodore Maiman and Arthur Leonard Schawlow. LIA's founders developed the LIA with many objectives, including:
Assist the establishment of laser health and safety standards.
Activate and direct procedures to establish adequate legislation and formulate legislative relations at the national, international, State and local levels.
Educate and formulate a proper image of the laser industry by means of public relations, especially in the areas of laser applications and safety.
From Wikipedia’s article on Laser Institute of America, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2