The Arsenic Act 1851 (14 & 15 Vict c 13) was an
Act of the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...
, passed in 1851, during the reign of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...
.
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...
was at the time widely used as a pigment and in agricultural products such as sheep dressings; the Act was introduced to address increasing public concern over accidental and deliberate arsenic poisonings.
The definition of arsenic for the purposes of the Act included "Arsenious Acid and the Arsenites, Arsenic Acid and the Arseniates, and all other colourless poisonous Preparations of Arsenic". The Act required those selling such products to maintain a written and signed record of those to whom they had sold arsenic, including the quantity and its stated purpose. It also required that unless the arsenic was to be used for a purpose that would make such treatment unsuitable, for example in medical or agricultural applications, it had to be coloured with either soot or
indigo
Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...
.
[ The maximum penalty for breaching the terms of the Act, or providing false information, was £20, equivalent to about £13,000 as of 2014.
The Act did not restrict who was allowed to sell arsenic, as until the ]Pharmacy Act 1868
The Pharmacy Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict c 121) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was the major 19th-century legislation in the United Kingdom limiting the sale of poisons and dangerous drugs to qualified pharmacists and druggis ...
there was no legal definition of a pharmacist
A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
. Section 17 of the Pharmacy Act 1868 provided that "nothing in this Act contained shall repeal or affect any of the provisions" of the Arsenic Act 1851. The Arsenic Act 1851 was repealed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Act 1933. The Arsenic Act 1851 is repealed for the Republic of Ireland by the Poisons Act, 1961.[The Poisons Act, 1961]
section 21
an
Schedule
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See also
* 1858 Bradford sweets poisoning
References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
*Arnold, Thomas James. "Arsenic". Summary of the Duties of a Justice of the Peace Out of Sessions: Summary Convictions. Henry Sweet. V and R Stevens and G S Norton. William Maxwell. London. 1860. Page
31
to 33.
*
*
*
*
*"The Arsenic Act, 1851". Halsbury's Statutes of England. (The Complete Statutes of England). First Edition. Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd. Bell Yard, Temple Bar, London. 1930
Volume 11
Page 662.
*Lely, John Mounteney. "The Arsenic Act, 1851". The Statutes of Practical Utility. (Chitty's Statutes). Fifth Edition. Sweet and Maxwell. Stevens and Sons. London. 1895. Volume 9. Title "Poison". Page
1
and 2.
{{refend
Arsenic
Legal history of England
Toxicology in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1851
United Kingdom public law