'Washington Post' Investigation Reveals Government Testing Sham

Animals in the U.S. are being injected with substances like Botox until they become paralyzed and suffocate, even though there are modern, non-animal methods to test the deadly neurotoxin. A new PETA report provided the impetus for a recent Washington Post investigation confirming that the entity put in place by Congress to reduce the use of animals in toxicity testing—the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM)—has failed miserably and has, in fact, become a major obstacle to the incorporation of non-animal test methods. In its 10 years of existence, ICCVAM has only recommended four "alternative" test methods to regulatory agencies. During the same period of time, its European counterpart recommended more than two dozen!

PETA's report shows that the U.S.' failure to move forward is because of a profound lack of political will, legislative mandates, interest on the part of federal bureaucrats, and a sense of urgency to modernize chemical testing methods. The failure of the U.S. government, including ICCVAM, to reduce and replace the use of animals in toxicity testing ensures that millions of animals will continue to suffer as they are poisoned by toxic chemicals and fails to protect the public health.

Last year, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released a landmark report which, in the words of an NAS news release, stated that the use of non-animal methods "would generate more-relevant data to evaluate risks people face, expand the number of chemicals that could be scrutinized, and reduce the time, money, and animals involved in testing ... ." In the wake of the NAS report, it looks as though the United States may finally be ready to start catching up to other nations by adopting modern testing methods. But this will not happen as long as ICCVAM is allowed to stand in the way of progress.

PETA is calling for a congressional investigation into ICCVAM's negligence and for the creation of a new entity to oversee the implementation of the NAS recommendations. Please use the form below to contact your members of Congress about this important issue.

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Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

I am appalled that the agency Congress put into place to streamline the use of non-animal test methods by federal regulatory agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Administration is not doing its job.

As shown in a recent Washington Post investigation, the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) has approved only one non-animal test method that originated in the U.S. in its entire 10-year history. This is not because there are no non-animal test methods - ICCVAM's European counterpart has approved more than 20 non-animal test methods.

A recent landmark report by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), entitled "Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century," calls for the use of more efficient non-animal test methods for testing dangerous substances.

ICCVAM's failure to act is directly responsible for the suffering and deaths of tens of millions of animals every year. In gruesome chemical toxicity tests, animals are forced to swallow or inhale poisons or endure the pain of chemical burns in their eyes and on their skin. Because none of these animal tests has ever been validated for relevance to humans, public health is jeopardized. Non-animal test methods have been demonstrated to be more accurate, more sensitive, and more protective of public health.

Please hold a Congressional hearing into the creation and funding of a new entity to oversee the implementation of the NAS recommendations to incorporate humane, fast, and effective non-animal test methods into government-required testing with all due speed.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

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