Animal Testing

on products?
 Opening video
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo25wUKNySg

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDCwyfIlKv8
Why do companies animal test?

 Many companies, including those that own huge brand names known across the country,
use animal testing to ensure the safety of their products before they're available to
consumers.
 Some of these tests are necessary to show that the products meet the legal standards
while others are done voluntarily to confirm that the item is as good as it can be.
 Do you think animal testing is cruel or do you believe that it's necessary to
keep humans safe and healthy? Group chat for 3 mins then class discussion.
 Each year, more than 100 million animals—including mice, rats, frogs, dogs, cats, rabbits,
hamsters, guinea pigs, monkeys, fish, and birds—are killed in U.S. laboratories for
biology lessons, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical, drug,
food, and cosmetics testing.
 Before their deaths, some are forced to inhale toxic fumes, others are immobilized in
restraint devices for hours, some have holes drilled into their skulls, and others have their
skin burned off or their spinal cords crushed.
 In addition to the torment of the actual experiments, animals in laboratories are deprived
of everything that is natural and important to them—they are confined to barren cages,
socially isolated, and psychologically traumatized.
 Windex is tested on animals to make sure it is safe for human use, as are many other SC
Johnson products like Glade and Pledge.
 Labs test Windex on the eyes and skin of the animals to see if it is irritating and also test
the effects of ingesting the product.
 While it might make you feel safer having it in the house, it doesn't do much for the peace
of mind of animal activists.
 Those handy neon notes you have stuck all over your desk don't seem like they're too
complicated or full of potentially dangerous chemicals, but their components are still
tested on animals.
 3M, the company that makes Post-its along with Scotch tape and other consumer
products, uses animal testing, some of which is required by law and some that is used to
see how safe their products are.
 On Post-its, for example, the company probably tests the safety of the adhesive used.
 Of course we want to know the things we eat are safe to be putting in our bodies, but
many groups think this kind of testing could be done with consenting human subjects
rather than animals.
 Mars, the makers of M&Ms, Twix, Snickers, and more, tests its ingredients on rats and
mice to see their different effects on the body.
 One test, for example, looked at what the chocolate ingredients did to the blood vessels
of a rat, and involved force-feeding and slicing open the animal's legs.
 Many of the experiments end with killing the animals to be able to dissect them and really
see the results. Not exactly appetizing.
 Vaseline petroleum jelly and the other lotions and skin products under that name are great
for keeping your skin moist and crack-free.
 But the skin of the lab animals used to test the products isn't so lucky, since it has to
suffer all of the harmful effects so the product is safe when it hits the shelf.
 Unilever, who makes Vaseline, also produces other popular products like Dove soaps,
Lipton, Slim-Fast, and Axe. Many of these other items are also tested on animals to check
whether they're safe to use on humans.
 This corporation and many others place the priority on their consumer, which often
means that animals end up being harmed. Whether or not that's a bad thing is up to you.
Group work (10 mins)

 In your groups research and find other products that you use or
know that are tested on animals.
 Write up a little note on these and discuss with your group. Each
group should have at least 2 to share with the class.
 Really good video on Monkeys used for animal testing. (can be hard to watch)

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocsPo53PCls&has_verified=1

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DClIONhxuc
Walking debate

 Pros and cons of Animal Testing

 First class will divide into pros and cons and you will group together to state your case in
front of the other group.
 You get 10 minutes to come up with your argument.
Pros of animal testing

 Helps researchers to find drugs and treatments:

The major pro for animal testing is that it aids researchers in
finding drugs and treatments to improve health and medicine.
Many medical treatments have been made possible by animal
testing, including cancer and HIV drugs, insulin, antibiotics,
vaccines and many more.
  Improves human health:
It is for this reason that animal testing is considered vital for
improving human health and it is also why the scientific
community and many members of the public support its use. In
fact, there are also individuals who are against animal testing for
cosmetics but still support animal testing for medicine and the
development of new drugs for disease.
 Helps ensure safety of drugs:
Another important aspect to note is that animal testing helps to ensure the safety
of drugs and many other substances humans use or are exposed to regularly.
Drugs in particular can carry significant dangers with their use but animal testing
allows researchers to initially gauge the safety of drugs prior to commencing
trials on humans. This means that human harm is reduced and human lives are
saved – not simply from avoidance of the dangers of drugs but because the drugs
themselves save lives as well as improve the quality of human life.
 Alternative methods of testing do not simulate humans in
the same way
Scientists typically use animals for testing purposes
because they are considered similar to humans. As such,
researchers do recognise the limitations and differences
but the testing is done on animals because they are
thought to be the closest match and best one with regards
to applying this data to humans.
Cons of animal testing

 Animals are killed or kept in captivity:

In animal testing, countless animals are experimented on
and then killed after their use. Others are injured and will
still live the remainder of their lives in captivity.
Cons of animal testing

 Some substances tested, may never be used for anything

useful:
The unfortunate aspect is that many of these animals
received tests for substances that will never actually see
approval or public consumption and use. It is this aspect
of animal testing that many view as a major negative
against the practice, as it seems that the animal died in
vain as no benefit to humans occurred
Cons to animal testing

 It is very expensive:
Another con on the issue of animal testing is the price. Animal
testing generally costs an enormous amount of money, as the
animals must be fed, housed, cared for and treated with drugs or a
similar experimental substance. On top of that, animal testing may
occur more than once and over the course of months, which means
that additional costs are incurred. The price of animals themselves
must also be factored into the equation. There are companies who
breed animals specifically for testing and animals can be purchased
through them.
Cons of animal testing

 Animals and humans are never exactly the same:

There is also the argument that the reaction of a drug in an animal's
body is quite different from the reaction in a human. The main
criticism here is that some believe animal testing is unreliable.
Following on that criticism is the premise that because animals are
in an unnatural environment, they will be under stress. Therefore,
they won't react to the drugs in the same way compared to their
potential reaction in a natural environment. This argument further
weakens the validity of animal experimentation.