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Article: Dear EarthTalk: is the "Draize Test" using live animals still used to test cosmetics?
- Article from:
- EarthTalk: Questions & Answers About Our Environment. A Weekly Column
- Article date:
- July 26, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Earth Action Network, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Dear EarthTalk: is the "Draize Test" using live animals still used to test cosmetics?
The Draize Test was devised back in 1944 by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) toxicologist John H. Draize to evaluate the risks of normal short-term exposure to new cosmetics and other personal care products. Still used today by some companies, the test involves applying a small amount of the substance under study to an animal's eye or skin for several hours, and then observing whether or not irritation occurs over the following week or two. In most cases the animal subjects--usually albino rabbits bred for the lab--are put to death after the sometimes maiming and often ...