Tyler Petroccione

4/18/16
Five Reasons To Stop Animal Testing

1. It Is Unethical
According to the Human Society International, animals are force fed, experience food and water
deprivation, inflicted with burns and wounds to study the healing process, and endure prolonged
periods of physical restraint. The Draize eye test which is used by cosmetic companies to evaluate
and record irritation, is conducted by rubbing the product in the animals eye, sometimes leaving it there
for days at a time, and recording the results. Another test, known as the Lethal Dose 50 which,
involves identifying how much of the chemical is needed to kill 50% of the animals in the experiment.
The US Deparment of Agriculture (USDA) reported in 2010 that 97,123 animals suffered pain during
experiments while being given no anesthesia for relief.
2. Unreliable
Many tests that pass in laboratory animals are extremely dangerous when consumed by humans. Also
many products that are harmful to laboratory animals are completely safe for humans. Aspirin,
Penicillin, and insulin all failed during animal testing. Blood transfusions were delayed 200 years by
animals studies, while the Polio vaccine was delayed 40 years because of testing on monkeys.
According to a thorough study, 88% of stillbirths are caused by drugs which based animal testing.
Also, 30 HIV vaccines, 33 spinal cord damage drugs, and over 700 treatments for stroke have been
developed and proven successful in animals, but NONE work for humans.
3. Alternative Methods Exist
Studying cell cultures in vitro, in a petri dish can produce more relevant results than animal testing
because human cells can be used. Administering small doses in human volunteers and then analyzing
their blood is another alternative to animal testing. Artificial human skin can be made and grown in
test tubes and can produce more useful results than testing chemicals on animal skin. Being able to test
on humans, without harm provides a clear conclusion, rather than guessing if the results will be reliable
when used by humans. If you are testing a product to see if it is safe for humans, humans seem like
they would be the best candidate. Also as time, technology, and science advances we can begin to
reduce animal testing and use artificial human skin permanently.

4. Expensive
An unscheduled DNA synthesis animal test costs $32,000, while alternative in vitro tests cost
$11,000. A rat photoxicity test costs $11,500, where the non-animal equivalent costs $1,300. A rat
uterotrophic assay costs $29,600, while corresponding in vitro tests costs $7,200. The US National
Institutes of Health (NIH) spends $14 billion of its $31 billion annual budget on animal research.
Based on these statistics it is clear we are spending an insane amount of time and money on animal
testing. Although alternative methods may be more time consuming, they do in return save money and
protect the safety of animals.
5. Europe, Israel, and India
Europe, the world's largest cosmetic market, Israel and India have already banned animal testing for
cosmetics, and the sale or import of newly animal-tested beauty products. If Europe, the largest
cosmetic market in the world can make the change and ban animal testing, the rest of the world should
be able to follow in their footsteps. There are plenty of reputable cosmetic companies that do not test
their products on animals and are completely safe for human use, such as Bath and Body works, Lush,
and Paul Mitchell. In my opinion, animal testing for cosmetics is completely ridiculous. In simplified
terms, we are wasting government money and causing harm to animals, just to see if shampoo will burn
our eyes, or if cream will itch our skin. I understand that using animals for medical testing has a little
more grey area than cosmetics, but I still don't think it is necessary. There are alternative methods
proven to be just as effective, if not more effective than animal testing.