CHEMICAL TESTING ON ANIMALS

There are many different chemicals in our world today (85,000+ including dyes, insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, rodenticides, soaps and detergents, synthetic fibers and rubbers, glues and solvents, paper and textile chemicals, plastics and resins, food additives and preservatives, refrigerants, explosives, chemical warfare agents, cleaning and polishing materials, and cosmetics) and in order to make sure their toxicity levels are low enough for human consumption, they are tested on animals.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has set up large animal testing labs and forced different animals( rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, and fish) To conduct the experiments the animals are forced to eat, drink, wear, and inhale the different chemicals. Up to 2,000 animals may be killed to find the least lethal dose of a single chemical, and the LD50 is still in use, which is disliked by scientists due to the inaccuracy for humans.

The animals also may undergo convulsions, severe abdominal pain, seizures, tremors, diarrhea, and many other symptoms. A problem in the testing is that they may be skewed because most of the time the amounts are over exaggerated that are injected or given to the animals possibly causing a carcinogenic (cancerous) reaction in their body.

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Sources:

Mur, Cindy. 2004. Animal Experimentation. New York: Greenhaven Press.

 “13 Eye-Opening Images of Animals in Labs.” PETA, 16 Apr. 2015, www.peta.org/living/personal-care-fashion/13-eye-opening-photos-animals-labs/.

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Chiorando, Maria. “Canada Moves?Closer?To?Cosmetics Animal Testing Ban.” Vegan News, Plant Based Living, Food, Health & More, 20 June 2018, www.plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/canada-cosmetics-animal-testing-ban-closer.  (Link Inactive).

 

Mackay, Sebastian. “Animals to Be Tortured for Legal High Tests.” Scoop, www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1303/S00136/animals-to-be-tortured-for-legal-high-tests.htm.