Choosing an Alternative to Animal Testing

Choosing an Alternative to Animal Testing

Animal Testing is something that we have all heard of, but we never really come to terms with it. The harsh reality is that between 25 and 50 billion animals are killed in laboratory test each year. The truth hurts, but imagine how these animals must feel. What hurts the most is that there are alternatives to animal testing, but these alternatives are rarely used.

What is animal testing, and why is it used for medical research? Animal testing is the use of animals in biological, medical, and psychological studies. Human beings and many animals have similar organ systems and body processes. Animal testing has helped in many medical advances, including the development of antibiotics, vaccines, and surgical techniques. People have used animal testing for hundreds of years. Animal testing has produced many benefits in the medical aspect, but has risked the lives of billions of animals. Animals that are subject to these tests are mainly: Mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, monkeys, and rabbits. The argument over animal testing is basically between scientists and animal right activists.

There is no law that requires companies to test their personal care and household products on animals before selling them to consumers. If this is true than why are so many innocent animals being killed everyday. Yes, testing products before they reach the market is important, but animals do not have to suffer in this process. Researching products and medical advancements before they hit the market can benefit all human life, so why make the animals suffer. I believe that animals have the right to a long and healthy life just as much as humans do; we are all the earth's creatures.

Some people would argue that animal testing is greatly needed for the advancement of modern medical technology. They would stress the importance of new medicines and medical advances. Yes, treatments and medical advances are needed in today's society, but not at the cost of innocent animals live. I would strongly have to disagree with this selfish way of thinking. Animals have feelings too, and unlike us they are not able to voice their opinions. Animals can not tell you if something hurts, or how what you do to them effects them physically and emotionally. Animals are very emotional and loving creatures, but because they can not voice these emotions to us people seem to forget that. So before you vote yes to animal research, think about the less harmful alternatives.

Revlon cosmetics were one of the first companies to fund alternative research techniques, with a $750,000 contribution to the Rockefeller University in 1979. So while animal testing is still very much in use today, there are now several hundred 'cruelty-free" consumer products companies. Some other companies who are cruelty-free are: Abercrombie & Finch, Avon, Clinique Incorporated, and Safeway, INC. If these companies can adopt new ways of researching their products, than other companies have no excuse for not doing the same. With the new advances these days in technology, there are plenty of alternatives and no excuse for overlooking them.

Some alternatives used are: in-viro tests, computer software, databases of test already done (to avoid duplication), and even human "clinical trial" tests. Use of animal cells, organs, or tissue cultures is also deemed an alternative although; animal's lives are sacrificed for the use of their parts. Some of these tests are: Eytex, Skintex, Epipack, Neutral Red Bioassay, Testdkin, TOPKAT, Ames test, and Agarose Diffusion Method.

These tests can be used in several certain studies, to avoid the use of animals. For example; the EpiPack method uses cloned human tissue to test potentially harmful substances. Another method is the Testskin method, this test uses human skin grown in a bag and can be used for measuring irritancy. These tests have been proven effective in testing products accurately, without harming innocent animals.

So now that alternatives are available for testing, these companies have no need to test innocent animal's right? Wrong! Even though alternatives are available companies still torture countless amounts of animals in order to test their products. Some of these researchers believe that animal testing is the only way to get concrete results. About five percent of all animal deaths resulted from animal testing, which rounds out to about 500 million animal deaths a year. I don't think that people realize how heinous animal testing really is. If you have a weak stomach, than you might not want to read this. One test that really gets to me is the test used to measure severe burns on live tissue; a pet is burned alive with a flame thrower, until the charred flesh can be removed in large pieces from while the animal is still alive. An experiment to study head trauma requires an animals head to be strapped down and receive high impact blows to the head resulting in severe brain damage. In one test used an animal's eyes were forced and held open, as bleach was poured into its eyes. This test was used to show that bleach can burn the eyes and cause serious injury, sometimes blindness. Who would have thought that bleach causes burning of the eyes? Some of these tests only prove things that we already know, so why continue to do them?

These animals are treated so cruelly, and for what half of the test aren't used or are proven to be ineffective. Less than 2% of human illnesses are ever seen in animals, yet we still condone these test. An unbelievable 95% of drugs passed by animal tests are immediately discarded as useless or dangerous to humans. At least fifty drugs