Vanessa Mezines
Hon English 3
October 15, 2013
Animal Rights
Think of those poor animals being trapped in cases waiting for their turn to be poked and
prodded by these so called human beings. The make-up you are putting on right now; think of
all the animals that had to suffer for you. Animals should not be used for animal testing because
it is harmful to them. They can be killed. Also they are being tortured.
Animals can be harmed by this testing of cosmetics. Every year, thousands of new
cosmetic, personal care and household products are introduced into the marketplace. Virtually all
of them have been animal-tested at various stages of their development. Long before they appear
on the shelves of your local supermarket, these products have gone through a long and complex
testing process that leaves millions of animals mutilated, burned, poisoned and gassed in
outmoded and unnecessary tests. The Draize tests for eye and skin irritancy are equally
horrifying. In the Draize test for eye irritancy, solutions of products are applied directly into the
eyes of conscious rabbits. During the test period, which usually lasts at least seven days, the
rabbits may suffer extreme pain while being restrained, and blindness often occurs. At the end of
the test period, all the animals are killed in order to determine the internal effects of the toxic
substances. The Draize test for skin irritancy consists of immobilizing an animal while test
substances are applied to shaved and abraded skin. Toxic products that have been tested on
animals such as permanent wave solutions, oven cleaners, soaps and detergents are regularly
introduced into the marketplace. That's because no amount of animal testing can change the fact
that many of these products are harmful if ingested or used in a way not intended by the
manufacturer. Animal testing merely determines the level of toxicity. Despite the fact that they
have been animal-tested, these products are no less deadly if a person eats or drinks them
accidentally. Using animals in cosmetics research was banned in the UK in 1998 and will be
illegal across the EU by 2009. Last night, a spokesperson for L'Oreal, the world's biggest
cosmetics manufacturer, said: "We have invested considerable time and effort for over two
decades in developing and validating alternative safety testing methods. As a result, we
voluntarily stopped animal testing on our entire range of cosmetics products in 1989."
In the notorious LD-50 test, a group of animals is forced to ingest, inhale or otherwise
consume varying amounts of a substance and suffer excruciating pain in the process. The test is
complete when 50% of the test animals die. The surviving 50% are killed, autopsied and
analyzed to determine which organs and systems were affected and why they didn't die during
the test. More than 100 million animals every year suffer and die in cruel chemical, drug, food,
and cosmetics tests as well as in biology lessons, medical training exercises, and curiosity-driven
medical experiments at universities. Exact numbers aren't available because mice, rats, birds, and
cold-blooded animals who make up more than 95 percent of animals used in experiments are not
covered by even the minimal protections of the Animal Welfare Act and therefore go uncounted.
To test cosmetics, household cleaners, and other consumer products, hundreds of thousands of
animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year by cruel corporations. Mice and rats are
forced to inhale toxic fumes, dogs are force-fed pesticides, and rabbits have corrosive chemicals
rubbed onto their skin and eyes. Many of these tests are not even required by law, and they often
produce inaccurate or misleading results. Even if a product harms animals, it can still be
marketed to consumers. Cruel and deadly toxicity tests are also conducted as part of massive
regulatory testing programs that are often funded by U.S. taxpayers' money. The Environmental
Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Toxicology Program, and
the Department of Agriculture are just a few of the government agencies that subject animals to
painful and crude tests.
TYPE OF TEST
Skin
sensitization
ANIMALS USED
32 guinea pigs
or 16 mice
Skin irritation/
corrosion
1-3 rabbits
Eye irritation/
corrosion
1-3 rabbits
Acute oral
toxicity
WHAT THE
ANIMALS
ENDURE
PURPOSE
OF TEST
The test substance
is applied to the
surface of the skin
or injected under
the skin of a guinea Tests for
pig, or applied to
allergic
the ear of a mouse. reaction on
Her skin may show
skin.
signs of redness,
ulcers, scaling,
inflammation, and
itchiness.
The test substance Tests for
is applied to the skin irritation
shaved skin of a
(reversible
rabbit. His skin may skin damage)
show signs of
and skin
redness, rash,
corrosion
lesions, scaling, (severe and
inflammation,
irreversible
and/or other signs
skin
of damage.
damage).
Tests for
The test substance
eye irritation
is applied to a
(reversible
rabbit’s eye(s). His
eye damage)
eye(s) may show
and eye
signs of redness,
corrosion
bleeding, ulcers,
(severe and
blindness, and/or
irreversible
other signs of
eye
damage
damage).
The test substance Determines
is forced down a the amount
7 rats
Acute dermal
toxicity
20 rats, rabbits
or guinea pigs
Acute inhalation
toxicity
20 rats
Repeat dose (28
day) and
subchronic (90
day) toxicity
40 rats (28 day)
or 80 rats (90 day)
rat’s throat using a
of a
feeding tube. She substance
may experience that causes
diarrhea,
half of the
convulsions,
exposed
bleeding from the animals to
mouth, seizures, die within 14
paralysis, and/or
days of
death.
exposure
when the
substance is
swallowed.
Determines
the amount
of a
The test substance substance
is applied to the that causes
shaved skin of the half of the
rat, guinea pig, or
exposed
rabbit and covered animals to
with a patch to die within 14
keep her from
days of
licking or otherwise exposure
removing the
when the
substance.
substance is
applied to the
skin for 24
hours.
A rat is placed into
a tube and forced
to inhale the test
substance. She
may experience
bleeding of the
nose, convulsions,
paralysis, seizures,
and/or death.
Determines
the amount
of a
substance
that causes
half of the
exposed
animals to
die within 14
days of
exposure
when the
substance is
inhaled.
A rat is force-fed a
substance, is
forced to breathe in
a substance, or has
a substance
applied to their skin
daily for 28 or 90
days. At the end of
Tests for
changes in
the cells or
organs
caused by
repeat
exposure.
the exposure
period he is killed
and his organs are
examined.
Carcinogenicity
or combined
carcinogenicity/
chronic toxicity
400 mice or rats
Toxicokinetics
4-12 rats
A mouse is
exposed to a
substance either by
being fed the
substance through
their food or water,
being force-fed the
substance, having
it rubbed on their
skin, or being
forced to inhale the
substance. After
two years of daily
exposure, she is
killed so her tissues
can be examined
for signs of cancer
(or other signs of
toxicity).
A rat is exposed
to a substance
either by being fed
the substance
through their food
or water, being
force-fed the
substance, having
it rubbed on their
skin, or being
forced to inhale the
substance. He may
be exposed once
or multiple times
depending on the
substance. Blood is
drawn at daily
intervals to
determine the peak
concentration of
substance in the
blood. He is then
killed at a specific
time-point; different
animals are killed
at different times to
obtain a record of
Tests for
cancer and
other longterm effects
of exposure.
Measures
the
absorption,
distribution,
and
metabolism
of a
substance
throughout
the tissues
and organs
following
exposure.
how the substance
moves through
their body over
time.
Reproductive/
developmental
screen
Reproductive
toxicity in two
generations
675 rats
2,600 rats
Male and female
adult rats are
exposed to the test
substance, usually
by force-feeding,
for two to four
weeks and then
Tests for
mated. The
effects on
pregnant mother is
fertility, ability
then exposed daily
to reproduce,
throughout
and birth
pregnancy and for
defects.
four days after her
pups are born.
Four days after
birth, she and her
pups are killed and
their tissues
examined.
Male and female
adult rats are
exposed, usually
by force-feeding,
for at least two
weeks and then
mated. The
pregnant mothers
are then exposed
daily throughout
pregnancy and
Tests for
breast-feeding and
effects on
are then killed.
fertility, ability
After weaning, the
to reproduce,
pups are force-fed
and birth
throughout their
defects.
lifetimes,
sometimes
experiencing
symptoms of
chronic poisoning
such as weight loss
or convulsions.
Pups that survive
until puberty are
then mated, and
force-feeding
continues through
the second
generation's
pregnancy and
breast feeding. At
the time of weaning
of the second
generation,
mothers and pups
are all killed and
their tissues
examined.
Developmental
toxicity
Genotoxicity/
mutagenicity*
A pregnant female
is exposed, usually
by force-feeding,
starting at the
initiation of
pregnancy (through
implantation) and
contiuing
throughout the
pregnancy. She is
Tests for
480 rabbits (100 adult females and 480 then killed on the birth defects.
day before she is
pups) or 1,300 rats (100 adult females
expected to give
and 1,200 pups)
birth (on average,
22 days for rats or
31 days for
rabbits). Her pups
are extracted and
evaluated for signs
of developmental
abnormalities.
There are several
different tests for
genetic alterations
that use mice or
rats. In a common
test, a mouse or rat
Tests for the
is force-fed the
beginning
substance on a
stages of
12-500 mice
daily basis for at
cancer.
or rats
least 14 days.
Samples of his
bone marrow
and/or blood are
taken to look for
genetic changes.
In laboratories all across America, millions of animals are used for the testing of
cosmetic products, even though the FDA does not require it and the rest of the world has
pretty much banned the practice. According to statistics from the American Society for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), more than half of the 1.4 million animals
counted by the USDA feel pain from the experiments performed by cosmetic companies.
What’s worse is that none of those tests are necessary, according to one expert.
People say that they would rather have animals to be tested on than humans.
Which makes sense because they would rather an animal die than a human because
taking a human rights away.