A Look Inside The

LabratoryBy: Trevor Tozier

The AnimalsThough many people believe that animals do not feel the same way as us humans do, there is significant evidence that proves otherwise. Animals can feel pain, fear, discomfort and loss just as we do. Animals all have a fully functional nervous system with a beating heart and a thinking brain. So what exactly would lead people to believe that they can’t feel? These animals suffer from severe stress while just being in the laboratory, away from there natural habitats. Some animals are even forced to breed and then the mothers have to endure having there newborn taken away from them, causing severe depression and anxiety.

The Tests These tests are for a wide variety of things. The big majority of them are performed for cosmetics, to test the strength and effects of a new cosmetic. Most of the cosmetic tests are very painful and usually result in the death of the animal. The most common of these are irritancy tests which can cause severe burning, itching, bleeding and damaging effects. Rabbits have very sensitive eyes as humans do, therefore for one specific irritancy tests, researchers would place the product in the rabbits eyes for a long period of time to see how sever the damage could be, these tests could cause so much stress that the rabbit would eventually go into shock.

THE ALTERNATIVESToday there is literally an alternative for every type of testing method used. Episkin is a product that was created to imitate the human skin and consists of actual human fat from liposuctions- so its much more valid and effective, not to mention there is no suffering involved. The Episkin is the most popular form of alternative for cosmetic testing's. The only thing researchers can not test with alternatives is the true ‘fatality’ test- though researchers can make a very good estimate on the fatality level of a product, there is no TRUE way to perform it without a living object- but then again, animals react differently to products than humans do, so with or without a fatality test, there is still that risk.

EPiSKIN PROCESS-

THE QUESTION?It seems clear to me that there is no dilemma here, just scientists delaying the process of moving forward to keep an old habit, a habit that is not ethical nor logical. With so many alternatives and the subtle fact that animals can feel pain and they can suffer, there is no need to hesitate. In fact, it is time to stand up for the animals and move on to a more cruelty free and less prehistoric form of animal testing.