Mice are just one example of animals used in testing and research.
Animal testing is controversial due to the inherent cruelty in the practice. The practice also is subject to debate because the results of animal testing are not always applicable to humans. Tests involving tissue samples and other methods are more applicable to humans and do not harm animals. Nevertheless, thousands of tests are performed on animal subjects each year in the United States and across the world. The Environmental Protection Agency mandates animal testing for certain products.
Types of Animals Used in Testing
The most common animals used in research and testing are mice, rats, ferrets, rabbits, primates (monkeys), pigs, cats, dogs, frogs, guinea pigs, fish, sheep and birds. Other animals, such as goats, also are used in testing and research.
Substances and Products Commonly Tested on Animal Subjects
Foods, beverages, drugs (both illegal and legal), alcohol, cleaning products, pesticides, insect and snake venom, conventional weapons, biological weapons, chemical weapons, radioactive substances, bacterial and viral infections, disease, petroleum products, vaccinations, cosmetics, personal hygiene products, smoke from burning substances are tested on animals.
Other Situations Tested on Animals
Animal subjects are tested in car crashes, decompression chambers and motion simulators. They are infected with diseases, infected with cancerous tumors, subjected to traumas such as head and spinal injuries, shot with guns, blown up in explosions, boiled, set on fire, addicted to drugs, used to practice surgery and other medical procedures, induced with seizures and paralyzed.
Who Performs These Tests?
Animal testing is commonly done by the medical industry, environmental protection groups, agriculture, the aerospace industry, the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry, consumer products testers, cosmetics companies, cleaning product manufacturers, the military and others who test products or situations that can affect humans or the environment.
How Are The Tests Performed?
The testing is commonly performed until the animal dies. If the testing does not kill the animal, the animal usually is killed by researchers so that an autopsy and other tests can be done. Common testing includes saturating the skin with substances, spraying the eyes, injections, inhalation chambers, using simulators, electric shock, burning, force feeding, isolation, starvation, surgical procedures, infecting with disease or cancer, drowning and trauma to the body, head or extremities. Pain killers are not used so that the effects of the testing is clear and not influenced by the pain-relieving drugs.
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