Another 675 Animals Saved From Testing

July 2004

Another 675 animals were saved by PETA’s review of all testing proposals made by companies under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s notorious high production volume chemical-testing program.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) was planning to run a reproductive/developmental toxicity test on benzoyl chloride. In PETA’s June 2004 comments on this test plan, we pointed out the absurdity of this plan since benzoyl chloride reacts, upon contact with moisture, to form benzoic acid and hydrochloric acid. The Food and Drug Administration recognizes benzoic acid as a “generally recognized as safe” food ingredient, and hydrochloric acid, on the other hand, is well known to be highly corrosive. Therefore, the only results from the proposed testing would have been to demonstrate, once again, that strong acids corrode animal tissues.

The ACC has now agreed not to conduct the test.