The data concerning the numbers of animals used in testing are not complete. Research and testing are not always separable, but testing generally entails the use of animals, primarily rats and mice, to assess the safety or effectiveness of consumer products such as drugs, chemicals, and cosmetics. These quantities are a small fraction of the total of over 5 billion animals used annually for food, clothing, and other purposes in the United States.Ī significant portion of the laboratory animals used each year are involved not in research but in testing. The majority of animals used-between 12 million and 15 million-were rats and mice. In this case, ''animal'' includes all vertebrates-namely, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. In 1983, an estimated 17 to 22 million animals were used for research, testing, and education in the United States. Though the information from both of these sources is incomplete, it provides a picture of the magnitude of animal experimentation in the United States. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). In this report, the committee addresses these issues and examines how and why animals are used in research and how society oversees that research.ĭata about the numbers and species of animals used for scientific experimentation in the United States come primarily from two sources: the National Research Council's Institute for Laboratory Animal Resources (ILAR) and the U.S. The recognition that animals are essential in scientific research is critical in making decisions about their use, but these decisions are also made in the broad context of social and ethical values. At the same time, behavioral researchers are drawing on animal studies to learn more about such major causes of human suffering as mental illness, drug addiction, and senility. Animals are also needed to combat new diseases, of which acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is currently the most prominent example. As in the past, investigators are using animals to learn about the most widespread diseases of the age, including heart disease and cancer, as well as to gain basic knowledge in genetics, physiology, and other life sciences. It is hardly surprising that animal experimentation raises complex questions and generates strong emotions.Īnimal experimentation is an essential component of biomedical and behavioral research, a critical part of efforts to prevent, cure, and treat a vast range of ailments. The basic problem can be stated quite simply: Research with animals has saved human lives, lessened human suffering, and advanced scientific understanding, yet that same research can cause pain and distress for the animals involved and usually results in their death. The use of animals in scientific research has been a controversial issue for well over a hundred years.
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