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The animals usually receive no anesthesia or pain relieving drugs during the tests.
The LD50 test measures the amount of a toxic substance that will, in a single dose, kill half of the animals in a test group. Again, no painkillers are administered. During this test, the experimental substance is forced into the animals' throats or pumped into their stomachs by tube, sometimes causing death by stomach rupture or from the sheer bulk of the chemical dosage. Substances are also injected under the skin, into a vein, or into the lining of the abdomen. They are also often applied to the eyes, rectum, or vagina, or forcibly delivered for inhalation through a gas mask.
Many health professionals agree that both the Draize test and the LD50 test are crude and imprecise. Ophthalmologist Stephen Kaufman of New York University Medical Center argues that the rabbit eye is so different from the human eye that ophthalmologists have no use for Draize data. Similarly, Dallas Pratt, MD argues that LD50 test results can be affected by the age and sex of the animal, their housing and nutrition, temperature, time of day and year, and the exact method used.
Additionally, cosmetic and product tests on animals are not required by law. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only requires that the ingredients be "adequately substantiated for safety" prior to marketing, or the product must carry a warning label saying that its safety has not been determined. The FDA does not require any particular sort of tests. Testing methods are deter-mined by the cosmetic and household product manufacturers, and the test data are used only defend the companies against consumer lawsuits.
There are many non-animal testing methods available that have proven to be more reliable and less expensive than animal tests. Alternatives include use of cell cultures, corneal and skin tissue cultures, corneas from eye banks, and computer and mathematical models. Companies can also make products using the many ingredients and combinations of ingredients
An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
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