The RSPCA welcomes news that artificial human skin can now be used to test chemicals for irritation, saving hundreds of laboratory rabbits from suffering and distress.

Not only is the use of this new method more humane, it also provides a more accurate assessment of the potential irritancy of a substance to human skin.

A new guideline from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) allows the new test using artificial human skin to establish if a chemical may cause skin irritation.

The new test, which was approved by the OECD on Thursday, 22 July 2010, does not involve any testing on animals and replaces one used since the 1940s where chemicals are tested by applying them to the shaved backs of rabbits.

Milestone in the replacement of animal tests

RSPCA senior scientist, Barry Phillips, said:

This is a milestone in the replacement of animal tests with humane alternatives.

However, there are still some loopholes which allow regulatory authorities to insist on animal tests for skin irritancy, and these must be closed.

Resistance to change

More than 5,000 chemical irritancy tests were carried out on rabbits annually in the late 1990s. This number reduced to 455 by 2009 because of an increased use of non-animal tests.

But until now rabbits have continued to be used to check chemicals that appear to be non-irritating during non-animal tests.

Barry continued:

It has taken more than 25 years of effort by scientists and animal protection groups to develop and gain acceptance for this new method.

Much of this time was taken up with proving that the new test works and with persuading regulators and the OECD to accept it.

This highlights how many obstacles have to be overcome to replace animal tests with humane alternatives, and illustrates how much resistance to change there is in the area of safety testing.

The RSPCA will continue to lobby for the replacement of animals in all areas of research and testing.

More about testing chemicals for safety

• We want to see all experiments that cause animals to suffer replaced with humane alternatives. Find out more about the use of laboratory animals in testing chemicals and our work to improve their welfare.
   
• The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) produces guidelines that set out how the safety of chemicals should be tested within its 31 member nations. These guidelines are also followed by other countries throughout most of the world. Find out more about the guidelines at: www.oecd.org