Thousands of Animals Spared From Chemical Tests Thanks to Collaboration With PETA Scientists
Hard work and smart science save animals! The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spared 1,600 animals from deadly chemical tests after successfully applying a scientific approach created by the EPA, PETA scientists, and other experts. This is just the beginning, as the EPA and other regulatory agencies can use this and similar approaches to spare even more animals!
When assessing a chemical’s cancer-causing potential, hundreds of animals are forced to ingest or inhale chemicals every day for up to two years, only to be killed and their bodies examined. More than 50 years of scientific literature demonstrate that the data collected from these cancer tests on rats and mice aren’t relevant to humans. In addition, these tests on animals take years to conduct, delaying us from quickly learning about the chemicals in our environment.
However, the approach co-developed by PETA scientists shows how to use existing toxicity data to predict the likelihood of cancer without killing more animals. The EPA used this approach to assess two chemicals for their cancer-causing potential. If the agency had used the outdated cancer test on animals, approximately 1,600 rats and mice would have been killed in these life-long tests.
Working Alongside the EPA to End Cancer Tests on Animals
This milestone follows years of work by EPA, PETA scientists, and other collaborators. Together, they co-authored two papers in the scientific literature and published examples demonstrating how to use the new approach through the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)—the international body that sets guidelines for how chemicals are tested.
As EPA and other regulatory agencies begin using this approach, many more animals will be spared from tests in which they are forced to ingest or inhale toxic chemicals or have them applied to their skin.
Studying Cancer Requires Human-Relevant Science! Here’s How You Can Help.
Billions of dollars have been spent on failed tests on animals in cancer research. Yet, the disease remains the second leading cause of death in the U.S. By modernizing international regulatory guidance for cancer testing, we could save the lives of humans and other animals.
Call on the National Cancer Institute to modernize cancer testing with human-relevant methods:
