A lotion that has soft texture like custard cream gives moist to skin, and a cheery-red color lipstick makes a smile. But have you ever thought that sacrifice of animals follows to the birth of cosmetics? Most people does not care whether animal test was held or not to make cosmetics when buying it. It is not important than the skin(which is not even 1mm). When people rage by the fact that 80thousand of dogs are being abandoned per year, no one much cares about the death of animals(4million per year) used in tests. Like this, not many people cares seriously about animal tests or does not truly know about the present condition of animal tests. However, we need more critical view to see through it. There are surely problems in animal testing and it should be regulated.
The prevalence of animal test has made a new kind of creature called ‘laboratory animal’. Generally, to make the research result approved, a same experience should make same result in any time or in any place. But, in case of animal test that uses living creatures, different result may be shown due to the difference of genetic matter or posses of illness. Therefore it is hard to estimate the cause. To prevent this and to higher the credibility and reproducibility, various kinds of lab animals are mass producted. Methods to produce animals that show same reaction to certain condition helps this. Representative animals are mouse, rat, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit or certain kinds of dogs and cats.
Some might think that animal tests started in modern times. But, surprisingly, origin of animal test dates back to ancient greek era. Hippocrates(BC460~BC377) introduced reproduction and heredity by animal dissection. Aristoteles(BC384~BC322) also developed anatomy and embryology by observing animals. A surgeon of Rome, Galenos(Claudios Galenos, 129~199) is known for defining medical facts about heart, bone, muscle and nerve system by dissecting monkey, goat and pig.
After 19th century, animal test helped scientists and doctors in the field of toxicology and physiology. But, while animal tests developed medical science and biology, people objecting animal tests increased. For example, Charles Darwin(1809~1882) is well known for making ‘Cruelty to Animals Act’ in 1876, which is a law regulating animal tests. Darwin admitted that animal test can be useful in physiology, but thought that it can not be justified. Further, the problem of animal test was known to the public in early 1900s by the ‘brown dog affair’, which is an affair that legality debate between medical students and animal vivisection objectors was held due to the Professor of London university Vail Reese act, dissecting a brown terrier in psychology lab.
Now, it’s time to see some inconvenient truths. A regular lab animal for safety of tooth paste is an opossum. Testers check whether there is an irritation by squeezing tooth paste in its’ cheek. Opossum’s cheek is stitched up for two weeks. Rabbits are used for eye safety test. Testers input cosmetic in rabbits eye without any anesthesia. Rabbits can’t move, and its eyes are fixed with clips. Some rabbits struggle due to the enormous pain and it leads to the break of neck or backbone. An experiment called ‘LD50’ is an experiment that gradually increasing the amount of certain chemical matter until 50% of lab animals die. No anesthesia is used because the amount of pain is also an important observation list. Lab animals die after vomit, convulsion, diarrhea, paralysis, and other uncountable pains. Rabbit that was tested with mascara more than 3000 times die after being blind. So then, would these animals death necessary?
To tell the conclusion first, it is not. Animal test has no good for both animals and humans. There are some reasons why it should be regulated.
Reference
The prevalence of animal test has made a new kind of creature called ‘laboratory animal’. Generally, to make the research result approved, a same experience should make same result in any time or in any place. But, in case of animal test that uses living creatures, different result may be shown due to the difference of genetic matter or posses of illness. Therefore it is hard to estimate the cause. To prevent this and to higher the credibility and reproducibility, various kinds of lab animals are mass producted. Methods to produce animals that show same reaction to certain condition helps this. Representative animals are mouse, rat, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit or certain kinds of dogs and cats.
Some might think that animal tests started in modern times. But, surprisingly, origin of animal test dates back to ancient greek era. Hippocrates(BC460~BC377) introduced reproduction and heredity by animal dissection. Aristoteles(BC384~BC322) also developed anatomy and embryology by observing animals. A surgeon of Rome, Galenos(Claudios Galenos, 129~199) is known for defining medical facts about heart, bone, muscle and nerve system by dissecting monkey, goat and pig.
After 19th century, animal test helped scientists and doctors in the field of toxicology and physiology. But, while animal tests developed medical science and biology, people objecting animal tests increased. For example, Charles Darwin(1809~1882) is well known for making ‘Cruelty to Animals Act’ in 1876, which is a law regulating animal tests. Darwin admitted that animal test can be useful in physiology, but thought that it can not be justified. Further, the problem of animal test was known to the public in early 1900s by the ‘brown dog affair’, which is an affair that legality debate between medical students and animal vivisection objectors was held due to the Professor of London university Vail Reese act, dissecting a brown terrier in psychology lab.
Now, it’s time to see some inconvenient truths. A regular lab animal for safety of tooth paste is an opossum. Testers check whether there is an irritation by squeezing tooth paste in its’ cheek. Opossum’s cheek is stitched up for two weeks. Rabbits are used for eye safety test. Testers input cosmetic in rabbits eye without any anesthesia. Rabbits can’t move, and its eyes are fixed with clips. Some rabbits struggle due to the enormous pain and it leads to the break of neck or backbone. An experiment called ‘LD50’ is an experiment that gradually increasing the amount of certain chemical matter until 50% of lab animals die. No anesthesia is used because the amount of pain is also an important observation list. Lab animals die after vomit, convulsion, diarrhea, paralysis, and other uncountable pains. Rabbit that was tested with mascara more than 3000 times die after being blind. So then, would these animals death necessary?
To tell the conclusion first, it is not. Animal test has no good for both animals and humans. There are some reasons why it should be regulated.
Firstly, animal tests are not safe. According to professor ‘Chang-Kil Park’, he says that the result of animal test can not be adjusted directly to humans. For example, he said “Tylenol is safe to humans, but it is a fatal toxin to rabbits. On the contrary, thalidomide, which was safe to animals for cure of morning sickness made pregnant women born deformed child. This is a well known incidence that represents unsafety of animal tests.” Diseases that both humans and animals share is only about 1.16%. In USA a hundred thousand of people die after taking medicine that is supplied after animal test. Ralph Heywood from Huntington lab revealed that the prediction of animal tests is only about 5~25%. “If animal test is really trustworthy result, why test again to human after the animal test?” says professor Park.
Second, animal test is against ethics. Animal has their rights, and we humans has no stronger power to ignore that right. Consider the pains animals get by various tests. When people know about the serious condition of animal test, they will no more call out the necessary of animal test. Moreover, using animals for the profit of human is not right. Killing the same precious life as humans can not be accepted. When a creature that is powerful than human emerge, human beings will be tested just like animals humans now test.
People who agree with animal test say that regulating animal test is not safety either. However, they are wrong. Then what can guarantee the safety? There are several ways that can replace animal test. For example, a popular cosmetic company. “Loreal” is now using artificial skins to test new cosmetics. Furthermore, in April,2012, Loreal made a lab that produces 13hundred thousand artificial skins and cornea cells, which are used to test the safety and effect of base material of cosmetics. Alternate technique that can reduce pain of animals is increasing. Amorepacific, a cosmetic company uses eggs or cornea of butchered cows to check the safety. Moreover, a computer simulation that predicts the effect of chemical material is actively used.
Also, there are people who say that animal test is a necessary evil. However, it is not. The british government already regulated animal testing on cosmetics, and started a campaign. “The body shop” is a representative brand that led this campaign. The company labels ‘AAT(Against Animal Testing)’ on every products, and does not enters China, where wants animal test results. But people does not think that this company’s products are dangerous than other products that takes animal test. To add, in EU, cosmetics that went through animal test even though there are alternative tests are prohibited to be sold in Europe since 2009.
There can be cases that animal tests are need. There are obviously testers and scientists that thanks to the sacrificed lives and tries to test in humane ways. I’m not trying to criticize those who are not. It is a scolding to an unethical act that gives pain to a life for beauty and own profit. It is also an appeal about the anxiety to the safety of animal tests. One by one, if people does not use products that went through animal tests, more brands and companies will avoid animal tests. Quoting the words of Jane Goodall, I'd like to urge the regulation of animal tests. “We think it is unavoidable to sacrifice animals for the progress of science or happiness of human. But there is nothing like ‘unavoidable’. By approaching in various sights and finding alternatives ways, both human and animal can be happy”Reference
http://www.navs.org/page.aspx?pid=402
http://blog.naver.com/ffatalwomen/130184129104
