Editorial: Facing the Challenge New testing methods are
astoundingly quick and accurate. Cellular tests can assess the
acute toxicity of chemicals and drugs much more accurately than
tests on rats or mice ever could. In-vitro tests can check
whether a chemical will cause genetic damage–leading to birth
defects or cancer–at a fraction of the cost of animal tests.
They can show whether a compound will irritate the skin or
damage the eye, all without using a single animal. And yet many
chemical and drug companies still use old, patently cruel, and
grossly inaccurate animal tests. Why? Some favor testing methods
that government regulators are familiar with, and that usually
means older tests. Others prefer animal tests precisely because
they are slow and difficult to interpret. Because when
government programs call for testing or retesting a possibly
toxic chemical, the last thing a manufacturer wants is a quick
and accurate test that could get a suspect chemical pulled from
the market. The fact is, many animal t