In 1919, one of the first municipal milk pasteurization programs in the U.S. was initiated by Charleston Health Officer Leon Banov. Banov was a graduate of the Medical University of South Carolina School of Medicine. The Charleston County Health Department was established in May 1920 and merged with the Charleston City Health Department in 1936 under Dr. Banov’s leadership.

In 1908, pasteurization became mandatory for all milk sold within the city of Chicago, and in 1947 Michigan became the first state to require that all milk for sale within the state be pasteurized.