Ashley Crook

Why do we use animal testing?

Right now, millions of mice, rats, rabbits, primates, cats, dogs, and other animals are
locked inside cold, barren cages in laboratories across the country. They languish in pain, ache
with loneliness, and long to roam free and use their minds. (Peta) Animal testing is used for
household products, cosmetic and medical testing. There are many types of testing. They do the
test on skin and body. Over 100 million animals are burned, crippled, poisoned and abused in
U.S. labs every year. (Do Something.org) They use the testing without any pain relief. What
products are considered cosmetics?

To test solutions they take animals and put the liquid in their eyes. They put it on the eye
and sometimes even inside the eye. Then they compare it to the unaffected side. They focus on
three parts of the eye the cornea, conjunctiva, and iris. They check the eye after an hour, then
twenty-four hour periods. They check the eye for fourteen days to see how it reacts.

Toxicity is another type of testing. There are two types acute toxicity and repeated dose
toxicity. They use this test to determine the danger of the exposure of chemicals by mouth, skin
or inhaled. Acute toxicity has a lethal dose fifty which causes half of the animals to die. If they
do not die in the test, they are killed because they may have health problems. For example
seizures, pain, loss of motor skills and many other things. Repeated dose toxicity is used more
than once unlike acute toxicity. They use this method to test the long term effects of the toxin in
the organ system.

Skin corrosivity and irritations is a test to see how the skin of the animal is affected. They
test the products to see if it causes irreversible damage to the skin. The skin irritation test is to
see if there is itching, swelling and inflammation. To do this they shave off some of the hair to
place the product on the bare skin. Skin sensitivity is used to see if the chemicals cause an
allergic reaction. They either inject it into the body or put it on the surface of the skin. At times
they do multiple doses to see how bad an allergic reaction can get. The guinea pigs is used to test
the appearance of the skin.

Pharmacokinetics, toxickinetic and metabolism is a test to see the rate of absorption,

distribution, metabolism and excretion of toxic chemicals. They do this test by force feeding,
inhaling or an IV. The animals are killed so they can see the results in the organs. Dermal
penetration is used to analyze the movement from the skin into the blood stream. After they give
the chemical the animal is killed.

Mutagenicity is a physical or chemical change in the genetic formation of an organism.

They test the bone marrow, then once the test has started they kill the rodent. They evaluate to
see the effects of the nucleus of the blood cell. Carcinogenicity is a substance that induces cancer
or increase the risk of cancer. They put it in the mouth, on the skin or inhaled in a two year
period. Rodents are more likely to get cancer than humans. Animal health is monitored during
the study then they kill them to look at the tissues and organs.
Reproductive and developmental toxicity is a test on the reproductive ability of an
organism. Also the toxic effects of the offspring development. Development toxicity involves
either a rat or rabbit that is female. The chemical is given orally. The animal is killed right before

they deliver the rabbit. Males and females are given a chemical before they begin mating. They
check the organs and physiological processes.

Neurotoxicity is a test to find out if the substance causes alteration to the nervous system.
They use the test to study the effects of pesticides. The hens are given a single oral dose of a
substance and then examined for twenty-one days. The rats are given a daily dose and examined
for twenty-eight days, ninety days or one year.
They use rabbits to test pyrogenicity its substance is mostly bacterial that causes a raise in
the animals temperature. It tests to see if any of the chemicals cause a fever. They use an
injection into the blood stream. Then they monitor the increase in fever. The age and gender can
make a difference in the test they are preforming. They use blood from horse crabs to evaluate
the immune system in response to pyrogenicity.

Ninety- four percent of animal testing is done to test cosmetics. Testing for medical is at
six percent. They focus on the living tissue without harming the tissue. There are still many areas
in which animal testing is necessary. The FDA has supported a way to reduce the tests done on
animals. They are working on ways to replace animal testing.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines cosmetics as articles intended to be
applied to the human body for cleaning, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering the
appearance without affecting the bodys structure or function. Examples are eye and facial
make up, nail polish, shampoo, hair color, perfumes, and eye creams. Cosmetics are labeled as
drugs. Toothpaste, deodorants, lotion, and soaps are also considered cosmetics. The FDA
prohibits the sale of mislabeled cosmetics, but they dont require animal test to be demonstrated

that they are safe. Some companies still try to test new ingredients to check the safety of the
products ingredients.

Animal testing is now banned in Europe where most of the cosmetics are made. There are
more than a thousand products that are considered safe that dont need to be tested anymore.
There are almost 20,000 ingredients in Europe that are considered safe. Europe has a law that
says if a product is still tested on animals then it cannot be sold. It took Europe ten years starting
in 2003 to get the ban on animal testing. The law was passed on March 11, 2013. The US is
trying to follow in Europes footsteps with banning animal testing. Other countries have also
been modernizing; Israel and Norway have had bans on animal testing in place for several years
and, in 2013, India became the first country in Asia to announce a ban, animal testing for
cosmetics. Korea, and Brazil are also making strides toward ending cosmetics testing on
animals. (Engebretson) California, New Jersey, and New York have laws that use alternative
testing for cosmetic testing. Polls show that Americans overall support alternatives to testing
cosmetics on animals. A majority of Americans believe it is unethical to test on animals.

There are many companies that still test on animals. Some of the most common known
companies are Arm & Hammer, Avon, Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream, Bissell Homecare Inc., Blistex,
Burts Bees, Coco Chanel Inc., Clairol, Clorox, Colgate-Palmolive co. , Cover Girl, Elizabeth
Arden, Estee Lauder, Gillette, IAMS, Jergens, Johnson & Johnson, LOreal, Mary Kay
Cosmetics, Melaleuca, Nestle, Neutrogena, Olay co., Pantene, Revlon, Sally Hansen, Sephora,
Soft-soap, 3M, Vidal Sassoon, and many more. If you want to use product that doesnt test on
animals look on the label that has a bunny on the bottle.

Ninety-two percent of experimental drugs that are safe and effective in animals fail in
human clinical trials because they are too dangerous or dont work. (Do Something.org)
Medical testing has been done in early Greek physicians such as Aristotle and Erasistratus. They
tested on live animals. For medical testing the animals are regulated. Medical testing is used to
focus on disease and prevention. Also for the treatment of injury. They use it for breeding and
diagnostics. Rats and mice are about 95% of all of the animals being tested on. Less than one
percent are on dogs and cats. They have done a test on dogs where they inhale cigarette smoke,
it does not show a link between lung cancers. A diet drug fen-phen caused no heart damage in
animals, but it did in humans. Chimpanzees are more closely related to humans than any other
animal yet they still have failed in major researches.

Animal testing to me is something that I dont like to see. I wish they would find a better
way to test products. Animals have lives just like the rest of us. I think of my animals as part of
my family and hurts me to see anything happen to them. I cant see how people can do this to
animals. I could never see myself intentionally hurt anyone or any animal. My pets mean the
world to me. I have seen some photos of animals that have been tested on and it just breaks my
heart to see them like that. It is hard to imagine how the people that do the test do it. It would be
the hardest thing for me to do.
Even though some companies may say it will benefit us to test on animals, the way they
test on animals are harmful in many ways to animals. Animal testing is unethical and harmful to
innocent animals. They deserve to have a good life just like the rest of us. Most of the test they
do are not necessary because most of the products have ingredients that have already been tested
safe. There is a group who is trying to stop the animal testing. Some of the medical testing is

useful, but most of the medical test that have been done have passed the test on animals. When it
comes to humans it doesnt work. Animal testing should be banned in all the world on cosmetics
and household products. I suggest People should buy products that have not been tested on
animals. They should tell the companies test on products that they will not buy their products
unless they stop animal testing. Companies may say then dont test on animals when they really
do. Animals have feeling just like the rest of us. When you test on them you are hurting them
physically, mentally and emotionally. I have a dog and I just love him to death. I also have a cat
who can be mean at times, but I cant see myself hurting either of my animals. I could never see
how anyone can hurt animals.

Work Cited
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