Animal testing

 Over 100 million animals are tested on every year to help make advancements in medicines and treatments, understanding the physiology of animals and humans and testing chemicals before they are released in products (RSPCA, 2018).

An example of how this is done would be how the company L’OREAL tests chemicals by exposing them to rat and mice mucous membranes, bare skin and oral ingestion then observe the effects to judge the risk they could cause to humans if put in products; L’OREAL justify this by saying that since the 1960’s, when animal testing became more popular, products have become safer for human use (Nohynek et al., 2010).

In the U.K. there are limitations to the cruelty animals can be subdued to during testing under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 which states that licences must be acquired to test on animals and describes procedures and humane ways of killing the animals that are allowed (Home Office, 2017).

The ethics of animal testing is continually being questioned and has been since 1959 when the “3 R’s” were recognised in a book by William Russell and Rex Burch (titled The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique) to make animal experimentation more humane by the “reduction, refinement and replacement” of animals in testing (Ferdowsian and Beck, 2011). These “3 R’s” are also mentioned in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to encourage minimal animal testing.

Although animal testing is currently used widely to develop substances, research is being done to find alternatives to testing on living organisms and this combined with the protests against animal testing should eventually result in there no longer being a need for it.

References:

Ferdowsian, H.R., Beck, N., 2011. Ethical and Scientific Considerations Regarding Animal Testing and Research.. PLoS ONE, [Online]. Volume 6 (Issue 9), p1-4. Available at: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=e107a40c-cb47-43fa-a44c-25cf883fd4be%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=afh&AN=74433311 [Accessed 16 January 2018].

Home Office. 2017. Guidance on the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-on-the-operation-of-the-animals-scientific-procedures-act-1986. [Accessed 16 January 2018].

Nohynek, G. J., Antignac, E., Re, T., Toutain, H., 2010. Safety assessment of personal care products/cosmetics and their ingredients. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, [Online]. Volume 243 (Issue 2), p239-259. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0041008X09005018? [Accessed 16 January 2018].

RSPCA. 2018. Laboratory animals. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/laboratory. [Accessed 15 January 2018].