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Testing On Animals : The Dangers Of Animal Testing

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Many of us are unaware of the sheer number of animals that undergo constant suffering in the name of human vanity. Animal testing was originally introduced in the early 20th century and is still prominent today. It is morally unacceptable to experiment on animals for human purposes. The procedures used in animal testing are cruel and inhumane, nor are they the most reliable source of data; resulting in many mishaps. Moreover, with the perpetual advancements in technology, there are several alternative methods making animal testing unnecessary. If testing cosmetics and drugs on humans is unacceptable, what makes it acceptable to test on animals? Animal testing plays a significant role in scientific discovery to better human health. …show more content…

One of the main cosmetic tests used is the “Lethal Dose 50” or (LD50). In this test, animals are forced to swallow large amounts of the chemicals being tested to verify the dosage level that will cause death (Corazza, 2017). It is known to cause intense pain and suffering on the animals. Chemicals are pumped into an animal's stomach until it dies. The reason for the intense pain is that it can take days or even weeks before the animal dies. In the rare case where test animals are not killed during the experiment, they are then, “killed either by asphyxiation, breaking of the spinal cord or decapitation” ("Ward: End support of animal testing by using cruelty free cosmetics", 2015). Humans use animals to test drugs and cosmetics but they do not respect the animal enough to provide them with a humane death. Animals are burned, blinded, poisoned, force-fed chemicals, genetically manipulated, electrocuted and killed, all in the name of science. How is the death of millions of animals fair and humane for results that are not necessarily justified? Additionally, animals also undergo immense pain and trauma in the pursuit of results that are not directly applicable for human use. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has been using animals for testing to conclude that drugs and cosmetics are safe and effective before going into the human tests since the 1960s. These tests have been going on for

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