Government testing
I found some really great information from the PETA media center -
check the link to the right.
The factsheet on government-required animal testing was eye opening.
"Statistics published by government authorities and research-oversight bodies in North America and Europe reveal that the vast majority of the cruelest and most painful animal experiments are conducted to satisfy government-mandated testing requirements. In these tests, animals such as birds, dogs, fish, guinea pigs, mice, rabbits, rats, and even monkeys are forced to swallow or inhale massive doses of a test substance—which can cause severe abdominal pain, paralysis, swelling and ulceration of the skin and/or eyes, convulsions and seizures, and bleeding from the nose, mouth, and genitals—before they are poisoned to death or killed by the experimenter" (http://peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=125)
Some of these tests gave only 60% accuracy of possible toxcicity to humans. One of the tests, called Draize eye and skin irritation test, consists of rabbits being restrained while different substances are dripped into their eyes or onto their skin for hours. Some of the effects include: redness, swelling, discharge, ulceration, hemorrhaging, cloudiness, or blindness in the eyes. Most of the time, the animals are then euthanized, which is probably more humane than letting them live with the horrible condition the test has left them in. And, as I've said before, the differences, in this case, between the reaction of a human eye and rabbit eyes or skin make for an unreliable prediction of toxcicity levels or even irritation. Yet the FDA still claims that the test plays an important role in testing regulated products, such as cosmetics.
I, personally, know I will know always look for "no testing on animals" on the labels when I buy makeup. PETA also has a good resource for finding these products that refrain from this sort of testing.
check the link to the right.
The factsheet on government-required animal testing was eye opening.
"Statistics published by government authorities and research-oversight bodies in North America and Europe reveal that the vast majority of the cruelest and most painful animal experiments are conducted to satisfy government-mandated testing requirements. In these tests, animals such as birds, dogs, fish, guinea pigs, mice, rabbits, rats, and even monkeys are forced to swallow or inhale massive doses of a test substance—which can cause severe abdominal pain, paralysis, swelling and ulceration of the skin and/or eyes, convulsions and seizures, and bleeding from the nose, mouth, and genitals—before they are poisoned to death or killed by the experimenter" (http://peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=125)
Some of these tests gave only 60% accuracy of possible toxcicity to humans. One of the tests, called Draize eye and skin irritation test, consists of rabbits being restrained while different substances are dripped into their eyes or onto their skin for hours. Some of the effects include: redness, swelling, discharge, ulceration, hemorrhaging, cloudiness, or blindness in the eyes. Most of the time, the animals are then euthanized, which is probably more humane than letting them live with the horrible condition the test has left them in. And, as I've said before, the differences, in this case, between the reaction of a human eye and rabbit eyes or skin make for an unreliable prediction of toxcicity levels or even irritation. Yet the FDA still claims that the test plays an important role in testing regulated products, such as cosmetics.
I, personally, know I will know always look for "no testing on animals" on the labels when I buy makeup. PETA also has a good resource for finding these products that refrain from this sort of testing.
posted by Allison at 3:51 PM
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