Background information provided for students
Throughout the activity, students will be directed to the supporting information given below, which provides some background, challenging ideas and options for further research. They are given fact round ups at the start of each section, and invited to scroll down for more information, ideas for research and discussion points.
Introduction
“My little boy suffers from asthma. I’m just so grateful for the latest drugs – he’d be much worse without them. I think we should keep using animals in research and testing, so we can constantly improve drugs for people.”
How are animals used in research and testing?
Scientists develop drugs that can help cure and prevent disease. These drugs are extensively tested before people can use them. There are many issues surrounding the ethics of testing drugs, including the use of animals. Animals are used for many different purposes, including:
- medical research to find ways of preventing or treating human diseases, including the development of human vaccines
- testing the safety and effectiveness of medicines for humans
- veterinary research to find ways of preventing or treating animal diseases, including the development of animal vaccines
- biological research, including research where animals are used as models for humans or in studies of how animals themselves function
- fundamental research to study how the organs, tissues or cells of animals and humans work, to try and answer scientific questions relating to human and animal medicine, or just for scientific interest.
The RSPCA is opposed to all experiments or procedures that cause pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm. The RSPCA's ultimate aim is the replacement of animal experiments with humane alternatives.
Why do we use animals in research and testing?
All new substances that may come into contact with humans, animals or the environment have to be tested to see if they are 'safe'. This includes all medicines and vaccines for humans. There are many regulatory bodies that set out how safety tests must be carried out, and many of their current requirements for testing involve using animals.
Animal experimentation in the UK is controlled by the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. Procedures can only be carried out after licensing by the Home Office. Under the Act, the likely benefits of the proposed work must be weighed against the likely costs to the animals involved before a licence is granted. Licences are needed for laboratories that breed or use animals for research and testing, for research projects and for individuals carrying out experiments.
Find out more
Find out about the agreed amendments to European Directive 86/609, which regulates the use of animals in research and testing, by following this link.
Now it's time to say what you think - remember you're voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by this first character: "We should keep using animals in research and testing, so we can improve drugs for people."
Round 1
“I’m totally against it. I’ve heard they do just horrible things to animals, keeping them in cages, and then they kill them when they’ve served their purpose. It’s disgusting...”
“Yeah, it’s disgusting. But don’t they only breed them to experiment on, and they’re just like, mice and rats and things, so I don’t think it matters that much. If we get safe medicines and food and make-up and stuff...”
Do animals suffer in research and testing?
Animals involved in experiments and research suffer in a variety of ways:
- laboratory housing may not give them enough space, socialisation with other animals or stimulation - so they become stressed, frustrated and bored
- during experiments they may experience pain, discomfort, distress or lasting harm, such as internal bleeding, irritation to the skin and eyes, loss of appetite, coma, convulsions, loss of hair and fur, dehydration, birth defects, sickness and death
- this is due to handling, dosing, blood sampling, drug side effects, surgical procedures or because they have been given diseases such as cancer, AIDS/HIV or tuberculosis
- the majority of animals are eventually killed to alleviate their suffering, or for post-mortem analysis of their tissues and organs as part of the experiment.
During animal experiments and research, the nature and level of animal suffering depends on the type of research and is classified by the Home Office as 'mild', 'moderate' or 'substantial'. For most experimental procedures, it is usually possible to take steps to reduce some of the suffering, for example by providing anaesthesia and pain relief.
Do we use animals for things other than medical research?
Animals are not just used in medical research and testing. They are also used to test whether new non-medical products for industrial, agricultural or household use may have harmful effects when they come into contact with humans, animals and the environment. These include chemicals such as food additives and pesticides, and the ingredients of paints, plastics and household cleaners.
The RSPCA is opposed to the use of animals in the testing of inessential substances, such as cosmetics and toiletries, non-medical products such as garden chemicals, DIY products, pesticides, household products and food additives. The Society believes there should be some mechanism for questioning the need for the product as well as the test.
Testing cosmetic products and/or ingredients on animals has been banned in the UK since 1997.
However, mice are used to test botulinum toxin used in the cosmetic procedure that temporarily removes wrinkles and frown lines of the skin, and in small doses to treat some painful conditions. Each batch is tested to investigate its strength and dosage. Mice are injected in the abdomen at different dosages to see whether they become paralysed. Some of the mice die of suffocation due to the paralysis of muscles used for breathing.
Are only mice and rats used in research and testing?
The Home Office publishes statistics on the numbers of laboratory animals used each year. In 2008, 3.7 million scientific procedures were carried out on animals in the UK, which involved around 3,583,223 animals. Most were mice (2,407,982) and rats (347,962). But many other species of animal were used, including:
- 122,265 birds
- 11,916 rabbits
- 4,271 dogs
- 3,354 primates
- 252 horses
- 176 cats.
The number of procedures using animals went up by 14 per cent in 2008. This is the seventh consecutive annual rise in numbers.
Apes such as chimps cannot be used in research in the UK. This is because they are so similar to humans that they are likely to suffer more in the laboratory than other animals.
Primates such as macaques are used instead, and this is of concern to many people, as it is thought they experience negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, boredom and mental stress - just like people.
The law says new ingredients of products for industrial, agricultural or household use must be tested on animals that include a rodent (rat or mouse) and one other non-rodent species - often dogs.
Any new drug must be tested on at least two different species of live mammal, one of which must be a large non-rodent.
Where do the animals come from?
Many animals used in experiments are bred for use in research, but the RSPCA is concerned about the amount of suffering for each individual animal, as well as the number of animals used.
More laboratory animals are often bred than are needed for experiments, leading to unnecessary wastage of their lives. Overbreeding may occur because of demands for a specific sex or age of animals to be immediately available.
Something to think about
Animals are sentient. This means they are capable of suffering pain, distress, fear and anxiety. In cases where it is not clear whether an animal is suffering, or could suffer, the RSPCA believes we should give the animal the benefit of the doubt. What do you think about this?
Find out more
Check out how many animals are used in testing each batch of tetanus vaccines, by following this link.
Find out more about the types of experiments and the suffering they cause, by going to this link and this link.
Something to think about
Do you think it is acceptable to develop new colours for paints if the law demands that the new ingredients used must be tested on animals, and those experiments cause the animals to suffer?
Some people might say that if it is wrong to harm humans, how can it be right to hurt animals? What do you think?
Now it’s time to say what you think - remember you’re voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by the first character: “We should keep using animals in research and testing, so we can improve drugs for people.”
Round 2
“I used to be against it, but now people I care about have got things wrong with them, and I find my view has changed a bit. I still don’t like it – there are all sorts of moral questions for me – but as long as it’s only used to find cures for serious conditions, like cancer and dementia, and as long as the suffering is minimised, then I can live with it.”
“I love animals and want to work with them. I’m thinking about going for a job in a research lab, where I’d be looking after the animals. I know that sounds weird, but using them in research and testing has given us all sorts of cures and medicines, and I’d just be making sure they were well looked after and didn’t suffer unnecessarily...”
How do we benefit from using animals in experiments?
Experiments on animals are used to study and find cures for serious medical conditions, which ultimately helps people.
Primates are used mainly in experiments to test the safety and effectiveness of medicines for humans. Some are also used to test the effectiveness of new experimental vaccines for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This can involve infecting them with the diseases that the vaccines are intended to prevent, and this can cause suffering.
Did you know?
Animals are used in experiments not only to find cures for naturally-occurring diseases, but also to understand and tackle conditions caused by people’s lifestyles, such as obesity and recreational drug addiction.
Cocaine addiction is a significant social concern. Addicts can suffer serious medical problems including mental health problems. Rats are commonly used to study addiction. They are housed on their own in a cage and have a tube fixed permanently into one of their veins. They are able to give themselves a dose of the drug by pushing a lever. They become addicted to the drug and will even take cocaine if they are punished for taking it by being given an electric shock. They will choose to have the cocaine rather than food and water. They can overdose on the drug if their access is not restricted, sometimes killing themselves.
How are research animals looked after?
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 says that one or more people must have overall responsibility for the day-to-day care of research animals, and that a vet must be appointed to monitor their health and welfare status.
Many laboratory animals are kept in cages that do not fulfil the animals’ needs. Housing is often small and uninteresting, and animals are often kept by themselves, so that they cannot act normally or socially interact with other animals.
The RSPCA is concerned about the suffering caused by experiments, but inadequate transport, housing, husbandry and care can also cause animals significant distress. For as long as animals are used in research and testing, the RSPCA believes that every possible step must be taken to reduce suffering and improve welfare.
Find out more
The RSPCA works with many organisations to improve the welfare of animals used in research and testing. See what we have to say about the numbers of animals used, by going to this link.
Something to think about
How does the way people use botulinum toxin - either for medical or for cosmetic reasons - affect how you feel about the fact that animals suffer and die when it is tested?
How do you feel about using animals to research conditions that are often the result of people’s lifestyles, such as cocaine addiction and obesity, compared to infectious diseases, such as tetanus and tuberculosis?
Now it’s time to say what you think - remember you’re voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by the first character: “We should keep using animals in research and testing, so we can improve drugs for people.”
Round 3
“The fact is, it’s against the law to sell medicines that have not been fully tested for effectiveness and safety. Experimenting with animals is an excellent way to ensure that, in my opinion.”
“The trouble is, I don’t think using animals always tells us whether something will work for us or be safe. I mean, animals aren’t the same as humans, so it’s a bit strange to use them to experiment on. But if we’re going to do it, we should definitely find ways to use fewer animals and make sure they don’t suffer too much – and keep looking for other ways that don’t use them...”
Does the use of animals in research and testing work?
There is a clear, strong demand for medicines and therapies for people. There are legal and ethical limits to what experiments can be done on humans. Animal experiments are used in the development of new medicines for human use to see if the new drug may cause side effects in people.
A hotly debated question is whether animals really are good models for humans in research and testing. Are experiments scientifically valid and do you get the same side effects if the species are different? What works in animals doesn’t always work in people.
The 3Rs
The Nuffield Council on Bioethics says that: A world in which the important benefits of such research could be achieved without causing pain, suffering, distress, lasting harm or death to animals involved in research must be the ultimate goal.
The UK government promotes the application of the 3Rs - the replacement of procedures with others that do not use animals, the reduction of the number of animals used and the refinement of procedures to minimise pain and suffering.
In safety testing, the most useful techniques so far developed for replacing animals have been based on:
- the use of cells and tissues maintained outside the body (in vitro cell and tissue culture)
- the analysis of chemical structure using computer modelling
- carefully controlled tests on human volunteers when possible.
These methods have replaced the use of animals in a small number of tests, but success has been very limited so far and progress is slower than the RSPCA would like to see. This is due to:
- difficulty in changing regulations for animal tests
- researchers being reluctant to move away from traditional animal methods
- lack of information and resources
- lack of commitment.
Examples of reduction include:
- avoiding the duplication of tests to satisfy test regulations in different countries
- ensuring the minimum number of animals are used through good experimental design
- reducing the number of potential new medicines tested on animals by using non-medical methods to select the most promising candidate drugs
- setting up well-designed data banks accessible to everyone.
Now it’s time to reach a verdict - remember you’re voting on whether or not you agree with the case made by the first character: “We should keep using animals in research and testing, so we can improve drugs for people.”