What is Product Testing?
Product testing is the use of animals in tests to determine
the relative toxicity of the chemicals that constitute the consumer products
that are used in our homes everyday. Dish detergent, laundry soap, toothpaste,
mouthwash, oven cleaner, etc. are often the result of barbaric tests that
poison, burn, and torture hundred of thousands of animals every year.
Rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, and other species of animals
are used in cruel tests that subject them to high levels of caustic chemicals.
What Kinds of Tests are Performed?
Several kinds of tests are performed for consumer products.
Skin irritancy, eye irritancy, and oral toxicity testing all cause severe
suffering for the unanaesthetized animals victimized in these crude tests.
Oral toxicity testing force-feeds strong chemicals to
fully conscious animals (usually rats or mice). The desired endpoint of this
study is often death.
Alternatives to Animal Testing
Modern technology has given us many methods of assessing the
toxicity or irritancy of a chemical without relying on animal tests. These
alternative methods include: Eytex, Skintex, EpiPack, Neutral Red Bioassay,
Testskin, TOPKAT, Ames Test, and Agarose Diffusion Method. It is also possible
to simply make consumer products out of chemicals which have already been
thoroughly studied and require no new testing.
The fact is that many companies including: Avon, Revlon,
Aubrey Organics, Tom’s of Maine, Paul Mitchell, Nexxus, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Food
Lion (house brand products only), Bon Ami/Faultless Starch, Bath & Body Works,
etc.-- literally hundreds of companies produce laundry detergents, cleaning
products, cosmetics and personal care products without killing animals for
testing.
Some Companies Still Torture Animals
Despite all the advances in technology some companies simply
refuse to change. Whether it is stubbornness, bureaucratic inertia, or vested
interest, the fact remains that when you buy products from one of these
companies you are supporting the needless suffering and death of thousands of
animals. Will your consumer dollars become blood money? If you want to avoid
supporting suffering and death, don’t support companies that test on animals,
and let them know why. These companies include:
Procter & Gamble
One Procter & Gamble Plz.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-983-1100
800-543-1745
Clairol
40 W. 57th St.
23rd Fl.
New York, NY 10019
212-541-2740
800-223-5800
Colgate Palmolive
300 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10022
212-310-2000
800-221-4607
Lever Brothers
800 Sylvan Ave.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
212-888-1260
800-598-1223
L’Oreal
575 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10017
212-818-1500
Clorox
1221 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612
510-271-7000
800-227-1860
