|
Abolishing the Status of Animals as Property |
|
Copyright © ASAP Nova Scotia 2007 |
|
Tests on pharmaceutical products involve: Metabolic Tests - Which are performed to find out how the drugs are absorbed, metabolized and excreted by the body when introduced orally, intravenously, intraperitoneally, or intramuscularly. Toxicology Tests - Acute toxicity is studied by using a rising dose until signs of toxicity become apparent. Sub-acute toxicity is where the drug is given to the animals for four to six weeks in doses below the level at which is becomes toxic, in order to discover the effects of the build up of toxic metabolites. Testing for chronic toxicity can last up to two years. The data gained from this period can be used to calculate the maximum tolerable does; that is, the does where signs of toxicity begin to occur. Efficacy Studies - Which test whether experimental drugs work by inducing the appropriate illness in animals using an animal model of the disease. The drug is then administered in a randomized trial. This is intended to allow scientists to determine the effect of the drug and dose response curve. Using animal testing in the development of cosmetics involves a number of separate practices: 1. Testing a finished product such as lipstick; 2. Testing individual ingredients, or a combination of them; 3. Contracting a third-party company to perform any of the above; 4. Using a subsidiary or third-party company to perform the tests in countries where animal testing is not banned. Some cosmetics companies claim that their products are not tested on animals despite using one or more of the methods listed above. |
|
► Animals in Science |
|
10-Oct-07 |
|
Skin and eye irritancy tests performed on living rabbits. |
|
Britches the monkey, whose eyes were sewn shut to further science in the research of how blind people cope. He was rescued by animal rights activists. |
|
Mutated mouse. |
|
It is estimated that from 50—100 million vertebrate (having a backbone or spinal column) animals Worldwide are used annually for scientific research or drugs and products testing, most of who are either killed during the testing or euthanized shortly thereafter. These experiments, largely un-regulated in law and generally not included in yearly statistics, are carried out inside Universities, medical schools, pharmaceutical companies, farms, defense-research establishments, and commercial facilities that provide animal testing services to industry. The majority of the animals used are bred specifically for research, while a number of them are caught in the wild, or supplied by animals pounds. Cats and dogs are also often stolen from owners. Experiments used by scientists can be split into three very broad categories; pure research, which experiments are performed that have no direct commercial application, and are used only to advance knowledge; applied research, which is used only to solve specific biological problems or develop commercial products for medical or non-medical use; and toxicology testing, where commercial products are tested on animals to measure potential adverse reactions to the ingredients used. Both the largest number and greatest variety of animals are used in this type of research. Scientists claim that this research is used to increase the knowledge of the way organisms behave, develop and function. There are three specific experiments used for this type of research. Mutagenesis - Where scientists purposely create mutant animals (mice, rats etc) by using radiation (exposure or injections) or transposons (a segment of DNA that is capable of independently replicating itself and inserting a copy into a new position within the same chromosome. Transposons act similarly to viruses and in humans are known to be an underlying cause of cancer, hemophilia and certain other diseases) inserted into their genes. Scientists claim that studying the changes in these mutant animals help them to understand how organisms develop “normally”. Behavior Experiments - Where scientists try to understand how organisms detect and interact with each other and their environment, by manipulating the animals vision, taste, hearing, touch and smell. Scientists claim that by purposely manipulating these functions in animals, that they can help humans who were born or whom live with such hindrances. They also claim that performing these tests on the “intelligent” species of animals (monkeys, birds and rats) helps them to find ‘enrichment’ in their lives as it allows them to engage in a wider range of activities, while in captivity. Breeding experiments are also used to aid in the study of evolution and genetics. This is done by inbreeding generations of animals and insects to create strains of DNA with defined characteristics. “Pure” breeds. |
|
Applied research is used to solve specific and practical problems, often relating to the treatment or cure of disease and disorder in humans. This type of research is generally carried out in Universities and pharmaceutical companies where they use animals who have been genetically modified to mimic certain diseases in humans. Genetic modification - Where animals have specific genes inserted, modified or removed with the purpose of modeling a specific human condition, The animals are then used to either test “theoretical” cures or are observed to watch how specific diseases develop. Pharmaceutical companies, medical research institutes, scientists, politicians and professional researchers widely endorse the above mentioned techniques, describing their research as “an increasingly important role in the discovery and development of new medicines”. However, animal rights and welfare groups regularly question the value and effectiveness of these techniques as animals do not always model human diseases accurately. The Genetic Engineering Pressure Group GeneWatch UK, calls genetic modification, “highly inefficient, wasteful of anima lives”, and calls for, “balancing the needs of people for drugs with the welfare and integrity of the animal species”. Xenotransplantation - This involves transplanting living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another. Current research involves using primates as recipients for pig hearts. The U.S. FDA has written that, “the research is driven by the fact that the demand for human organs for clinical transplantation far exceeds the supply.” (1) Reference: (1) http://www.fda.gov/CBER/XAP/XAP.htm |
|
All these experiments are un-necessary and potentially dangerous to human health, and above all extremely cruel. Non-human animals have different biological structures and physiology that humans. Thus, an animal’s response to a drug can be similar or different to a human’s, and it is impossible to extrapolate what the reaction will be in a human being, For example: morphine calms humans but excites cats, cortisone causes birth defects in mice but not in humans, penicillin kills guinea pigs and hamsters and aspirin poisons cats. If the results of tests on animals had been relied upon we would not have penicillin or digitalis (a drug used by heart patients but which was withheld for a long time because it was found to raise blood pressure of dogs). We would also be without chloroform (once a common anesthetic but not used initially because it was toxic to dogs) and aspirin (which causes fetal deformities in rats and is toxic to certain animals). Certain steroids, adrenaline, insulin, and some antibiotics are also toxic to many animals but medically beneficial to humans. Animals suffer greatly from procedures carried out on them. Such procedures include; applying substance to the eyes of conscious animals in order to test irritancy, applying substances on shaved skin, frequently a braised or broken to increase absorption, burning them, breaking their skulls and implanting electrodes...etc. As many undercover investigations have proven, animal cruelty legislations, where they exist, do not prevent researchers from abusing and mistreating animals. Even when not being poisoned or mutilated in actual experiments, the lives of animals in laboratories and nightmarish. Many spend the entirety of their lives in small, barren metal cages. The isolation and boredom alone often cause social animals to become psychotic. Animals in laboratories are viewed merely as objects, Their ability to suffer and feel is denied and disregarded. As mere “ test subjects” they are handled roughly, with no thought to their distress, fear or pain. When not being experimented on, these animals still enjoy no comfort at all, sleeping on cement or metal flooring. Those who do survive the experiments are then “sacrificed”...callously killed and tossed aside. Animals experience pain, fear, pleasure, and have as much right to life and be protected from cruelty as human beings. We should not have the right to imprison and torture animals for out own benefit. Alternatives Successful alternatives include test tube studies on human cells, tissues and organ cultures, epidemiological studies and computer models. Cosmetic manufacturers who genuinely do not test on animals generally use the following for safety testing of their products; · Reliance on existing natural or synthetic ingredients, compounds and substances, which have already been extensively tested on animals; · Avoiding novel ingredients or combinations or ingredients that have not been fully tested and may not be safe; · Testing on human volunteers/clinical trials. WHAT YOU CAN DO! Buy household products and cosmetics not tested on animals: Check out our link to Cruelty free companies. Support charities that use modern, effective methods to do research into human diseases without torturing animals. |
|
[ PURE RESEARCH ] [ APPLIED RESEARCH ] [ DRUG TESTING ] [ EDUCATION ]
|