Animal testing or cosmetics:
Leslie Rodriguez
Proviso mathematics and science academy
Reasoning for animal testing; why it is done?
Animal testing has been around for as long as cosmetics have been used throughout history. “Animal research has played a vital part in nearly every medical breakthrough over the last decade.” (16 December 2013)Forty reasons why we need animals in research. Retrieved from http://www.understandanimalresearch.org. While animals have made a breakthrough in our history through medical studies it seems because there is an abundance of them it has only made it easier to withhold them and use them in our studies. “While non-animal methods play an important part of biomedical research, they cannot replace all use of animals.” (16 December 2013)Forty reasons why we need animals in research. Retrieved from http://www.understandanimalresearch.org. While technology seems to expand and grow our use of animals may never come to an end; but why? “Animals and humans are very similar; we have the same organ systems performing the same tasks in more or less the same way.” “Animals suffer from similar diseases to humans including cancers, TB, flu, and asthma.” (16 December 2013)Forty reasons why we need animals in research. Retrieved from http://www.understandanimalresearch.org. The similar quality that humans and animals have is the one thing that keeps our studies and experiments within the animal use. Animals seem to be an important and vital need/use in our experimental research.
Cruelty
Cruelty. When is it right? When is it wrong? Does being of a different species or creation other than human make it right or wrong or just justify it? “In research and testing, animals are subjected to experiments that can include everything from testing new drugs to infecting with diseases, poisoning for toxicity testing, burning skin, causing brain damage, implanting electrodes into the brain, maiming, blinding, and other painful and invasive procedures. It can include protocols that can cause severe suffering, such as long-term social isolation, electric shocks, withholding of food and water, or repeating breeding and separating infants from mothers.” (9/11/2014) Harm and suffering-Animal use in research. In research from http://neavs.org/research/harm-suffering. Most of the animals when experimented upon are restrained, paralyzed, and killed by the end of the study. “The areas of xenotransplantation (transplanting cells, tissues, or organs from one species into another species) and genetic engineering also create a great deal of suffering and death for animals. Genetic engineering consumes and destroys untold volumes of animals in attempts to create animals with specific traits. Nonhuman primates, cats, dogs, mice, rats, and others have all been subjected to genetic manipulation. Many of these animals die, while suffering from abnormalities and other diseased conditions.” (9/11/2014) Harm and suffering-Animal use in research. In research from http://neavs.org/research/harm-suffering. During the process the animals go through many different pains such as skin sensitization and irritation, eye irritation and corrosion. Once the animals aren’t useful anymore it’s killed. Cruelty isn’t only about the killings and deaths caused by the experimentation but how the animals are treated before the process as they await the study. “Animals in labs suffer not only pain from protocols, but also severe stress from day-to-day laboratory life. They spend their lives in barren cages, unable to make choices or express natural behaviors. Most never experience fresh air or sunshine, only bars and concrete. Those few facilities that provide some outside caging typically rotate the animals, giving them limited and infrequent amounts of time outdoors. Standard lab conditions, such as small, crowded cages, lack of enrichment, loud noises, and bright lights out of sync with natural lighting are all known to create stress in animals that in turn show physical symptoms of the stress, including chronic inflammatory conditions. Studies show that mice are capable of empathy and become even more stressed when witnessing other mice in distress. Other research documents the long-lasting effects on chimpanzees from the stress and trauma of living in a lab and being used in research and testing. In 2009, an undercover lab investigation revealed monkeys frantically spinning around and around in their cages, biting open wounds, mutilating themselves, and ripping out their own hair, all because of the chronic psychological distress they must endure. The term used for this is “stress-induced psychosis”—laboratories are literally driving these animals crazy. After seeing footage of chimpanzees from this same investigation, famed primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall stated, “In no lab I have visited have I seen so many chimpanzees exhibit such intense fear. The screaming I heard when chimpanzees were being forced to move toward the dreaded needle in their squeeze cages was, for me, absolutely horrifying.” (9/11/2014) Harm and suffering-Animal use in research. In research from http://neavs.org/research/harm-suffering. Life is protected and cared for, but when does it become away to take from someone or something and “enslave” them.
Alternatives
If we could change something to save a life, or even thousands, is the chance worth taking? What if there was an alternative to animal testing; one that replaces the procedure with one that has no use for an animal. “Scientists at private companies, universities, and government agencies are developing new cell and tissue tests, computer models and other sophisticated methods to replace existing animal tests. These alternatives are not only humane; they also tend to be more cost-effective, rapid, and reliable than traditional animal tests.” (9/4/2014) Alternative to animal testing: The humane society of the United States. In research from http://www.humanesociety.org. We are now able to do testing for cosmetics on computers and other ways are now been invented with the technology we have in our new era. “Using blood from human volunteers to test for the presence of fever-causing contaminants in intravenous medicines can save hundreds of thousands of rabbits each year from traditional "pyrogen" tests.” (9/4/2014) Alternative to animal testing: The humane society of the United States. In research from http://www.humanesociety.org. This study is just one out of many more ways that we can stop using animals in our experiments for cosmetics. “An international team of researchers developed skin grown from human stem cells that may eliminate using animals for drug and cosmetics testing ... the outer layer of skin -- similar to real skin.” “The artificial skin forms a protective barrier between the body and the environment keeping out microbes and toxins, while not allowing water from escaping the body.” (9/4/2014) Artificial skin may eliminate using animals for drug and cosmetics testing. http://www. http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2014/04/28/Researchers-create-artificial-skin-using-stem-cells/5611398676969/. Now with the use of computers, artificial skin, blood, and even more different ways to experiment for cosmetics without killing or endangering the animals it seems almost like an outdated way to experiment in this new era of technology.