Transcript Beauty Without Cruelty

Beauty Without Cruelty
• Every year, cosmetics
companies kill millions of
animals to test their
products. These companies
claim they test on animals to
establish the safety of their
products and ingredients for
consumers. However, the
Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) does
not require animal testing for
cosmetics, and alternative
testing methods are widely
available and lead to more
reliable results.
Product testing is commonly performed on animals to measure the levels of skin
irritancy, eye tissue damage, and toxicity caused by various substances used in the
manufacture of cosmetics.
1. Acute Toxicity tests- To determine the toxic consequences of exposure to a product
or chemical, the substance is administered to animals in extremely high doses via
force-feeding, forced inhalation, and/or absorption through the skin. Animals in the
highest dose groups may endure severe abdominal pain, diarrhea, convulsions,
seizures, paralysis, and bleeding from the nose, mouth, and genitals before they
ultimately die.
2. LD50- Lethal Dose 50% began during WORLD WAR 1, and remains the most
common form of animal-poisoning study. In this test, groups of animals are force-fed
(through stomach tubes, vapor spray inhalers or injection) increasing amounts of a
substance until 50 percent of them die. Despite its decades of use, the LD50 test and
its more contemporary adaptations have never been scientifically validated to confirm
that their results are indeed predictive of chemical effects in people.
3. The Draize eye- and skin-irritation/corrosion test dates back to the 1940s.(3) During
this test, rabbits are often immobilized in full-body restraints while a substance is
dripped or smeared into their eyes or onto their shaved skin. Laboratory technicians
then record the damage at specific intervals for hours or days. Rabbits may suffer
swollen eyelids, irritated and cloudy eyes, and inflamed skin, and in the case of
irreversible corrosive damage, they may endure ulcers, bleeding, bloody scabs, or
blindness.
No Bunny Should Suffer for Beauty
How many animals suffered or died to test the
shampoo and soap you used today?
Type Of Test
Animals Used
What the Animal Endures
Purpose of Test
Reproductive
toxicity in two
generations
2,600 Rats
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 breast-feeding and are then
killed. After weaning, the pups are forcefed throughout their 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
Tests for effects
on fertility,
ability to
reproduce, and
birth defects.
Type of Test
Animals
Used
What the animal endures
Purpose of Test
Skin
Sensitization
32 guinea
pigs or
16 mice
The test substance is applied to the surface of
the skin or injected under the skin of a guinea
pig, or applied to the ear of a mouse. Her skin
may show signs of redness, ulcers, scaling,
inflammation, and itchiness
Tests for allergic
reaction on skin.
Skin irritation/
corrosion
1-3
Rabbits
The test substance is applied to the shaved skin
of a rabbit. His skin may show signs of redness,
rash, lesions, scaling, inflammation, and/or other
signs of damage.
Tests for skin
irritation and skin
corrosion (severe and
irreversible skin
damage).
Reproductive/
developmental
screen
675 Rats
Male and female adult rats are exposed to the
test substance, usually by force-feeding, for two
to four weeks and then mated. The pregnant
mother is then exposed daily throughout
pregnancy and for four days after her pups are
born. Four days after birth, she and her pups are
killed and their tissues examined.
Tests for effects on
fertility, ability to
reproduce, and birth
defects.
Genotoxicity/
mutagenicity*
12-500
Rats or
Mice
There are several different tests for genetic
alterations that use mice or rats. In a common
test, a mouse or rat is force-fed the substance on
a daily basis for at least 14 days. Samples of his
bone marrow and/or blood are taken to look for
genetic changes.
Tests for the
beginning stages of
cancer.
Eye irritation/ 1-3 Rabbits
corrosion
The test substance is applied to a
rabbit’s eye(s). His eye(s) may show
signs of redness, bleeding, ulcers,
blindness, and/or other signs of
damage
Tests for eye irritation (reversible
eye damage) and eye corrosion
(severe and irreversible eye
damage).
Acute oral
toxicity
7 Rats
Rat is force-fed the substance. She
may experience diarrhea,
convulsions, bleeding from the
mouth, seizures, paralysis, 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 swallowed.
Acute dermal
toxicity
20 rats,
rabbits, or
guinea pigs
The test substance is applied to the
shaved skin of the rat, guinea pig, or
rabbit and covered with a patch to
keep her from licking or otherwise
removing the substance.
Determines the amount of a
substance that causes half of the
exposed animals to die within 14
days of exposure when the
substance is applied to the skin
for 24 hours.
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
how the substance moves through
Measures the absorption,
distribution, and metabolism of a
substance throughout the tissues
and organs following exposure.
Toxicokinetics 4-12 Rats
Acute inhalation
toxicity
20 Rats
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
Repeat dose (28 day)
and subchronic (90
day) toxicity
40 rats (28
Days) or 80
Rats (90
Days)
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
the exposure period he is killed and
his organs are examined
Tests for changes in the
cells or organs caused by
repeat exposure.
Carcinogenicity or
combined
carcinogenicity/
chronic toxicity
400 Mice
A mouse is exposed to a substance
Tests for cancer and
either by being fed the substance
other long-term effects
through their food or water, being
of exposure.
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).
So Why Test on Animals?
• No law requires that cosmetics and household products be
tested on animals. The Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) “urges cosmetic manufacturers to conduct whatever
tests are appropriate to establish that their cosmetics are safe”
but “does not specifically mandate animal testing for cosmetic
safety.” Likewise, household products regulated by the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) do not have
to be tested on animals.
• Non-animal testing methods that are more reliable and less
expensive have been developed. These make use of cell and
skin tissue cultures, corneas from eye banks, and
sophisticated computer and mathematical models. Some
companies avoid testing altogether by using non-toxic natural
ingredients or those that have already been safety-approved
by the Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance Association.
What YOU Can do!
• Caring consumers who boycott animal-tested products
play a vital role in pushing companies and government
agencies to adopt more relevant and humane nonanimal test methods.
Check out lists of cruelty-free companies and products:
• http://www.peta.org/living/beauty-and-personalcare/companies/default.aspx
• http://www.leapingbunny.org/images/cciclist.pdf
See further tips to do all you can:
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/cosmetic_testin
g/compassionate_consumer/take_action.html
Common Companies that Test on Animals