Imagine a lab filled with hundreds of animals all being tested on and infested with different diseases. Now, think of a dog; this dog is named Libby. She is suffering from many issues, including hookworms, tapeworms, infections, and rotted teeth. She is beaten by lab workers and forced to endure all of this to test the safety of a product for people like you (PETA, 2011). A huge problem facing the world is how many animals are cruelly tested on internationally for cosmetics. If nothing is done to stop this, millions of innocent animals will be killed, results from animal testing will continue to be different than how people react to it, and more protests will cost lots of money in damage. Only through people’s decisions, companies’ choices, and government involvement will this problem be solved. One major cause of animal testing for cosmetics is to test products and check for what reactions they cause. Although it is harmful towards animals, this testing can prevent future problems with the product. As NAVS, the National Anti-Vivisection Society, said in 2008, these tests are done to check the “potential harm a substance can do to a living creature” when it comes in any type of contact with the body. Without testing products there can be horrible outcomes, which can possibly affect many people. An example of this is in the 1930s, when many women got infections and some even went blind after using a mascara called Lash Lure, which had not been tested on anything (Animal Research, 2013, para. 1). The testing of products is definitely needed to avoid these horrible side effects, but testing on animals should not be an option. Another major cause of animal testing for cosmetics is that animals are cheap, convenient, and easy to control. One of the animals most used are rabbits for quite a few reasons. As PETA stated, rabbits are usually used for animal testing as they are “mild-tempered and easy to handle, confine, and breed” (n.d., para. 1). Companies choose animals with pet-like features to test on as they are easier to subdue and are not capable of causing any problems during the process. Other than rabbits, many other animals are tested on including “monkeys, dogs, and rats” just for the “convenience” of them (PETA India, n.d., para. 1). Animals are used and treated unfairly just because they are not able to speak up for themselves, which is one of the major causes of animal testing. One major effect of animal testing for cosmetics is that the results from the animals come out differently than how humans will most likely react to it.
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The reason for this is that although people and animals are similar in some ways, they have major differences, which cause many important discrepancies in the data. This is seen when NAVS released a quote stating that, “Species who share close evolutionary relationships or anatomical similarities do not necessarily undergo the same biochemical mechanisms or physiological responses,” they also go on to say that it can be “dangerous” to compare this data to humans (n.d., para., 1). Also, as the Humane Society International stated, a major test used is the Draize test, which is where someone puts a product directly into the rabbit’s eye, is unreliable, because rabbits do not have tear ducts, while humans do (n. d., para. 5). Ignoring such a significant difference like having tear ducts or not accentuates the holes in animal testing. Besides the cruelty of testing on animals, it can cause harm to the people who use the product if their reaction ends up being different than what the animal’s reaction was. A second major effect of animal testing for cosmetics is that animals are harmed. Yearly, all around the world, thousands of animals are hurt and killed. …show more content…
These protests can cost thousands of dollars in damage. This is shown in the United States when an animal activist group caused more than 827,943.75 dollars in damage at a university (Murnaghan, 2015, para. 7). The protests can also cause people to end up in jail. One night, in Thames Valley, 87 people were put in jail “on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy to commit criminal damage” (Taylor & Rayner, n.d., para 25). This proves that animal testing does more harm than just to animals, but it also does harm to the people who surround
The reason for this is that although people and animals are similar in some ways, they have major differences, which cause many important discrepancies in the data. This is seen when NAVS released a quote stating that, “Species who share close evolutionary relationships or anatomical similarities do not necessarily undergo the same biochemical mechanisms or physiological responses,” they also go on to say that it can be “dangerous” to compare this data to humans (n.d., para., 1). Also, as the Humane Society International stated, a major test used is the Draize test, which is where someone puts a product directly into the rabbit’s eye, is unreliable, because rabbits do not have tear ducts, while humans do (n. d., para. 5). Ignoring such a significant difference like having tear ducts or not accentuates the holes in animal testing. Besides the cruelty of testing on animals, it can cause harm to the people who use the product if their reaction ends up being different than what the animal’s reaction was. A second major effect of animal testing for cosmetics is that animals are harmed. Yearly, all around the world, thousands of animals are hurt and killed. …show more content…
These protests can cost thousands of dollars in damage. This is shown in the United States when an animal activist group caused more than 827,943.75 dollars in damage at a university (Murnaghan, 2015, para. 7). The protests can also cause people to end up in jail. One night, in Thames Valley, 87 people were put in jail “on suspicion of burglary and conspiracy to commit criminal damage” (Taylor & Rayner, n.d., para 25). This proves that animal testing does more harm than just to animals, but it also does harm to the people who surround