What Are The Harms of Animal Testing?

11/20/2019

Written by: Natalie Henderson, Marketing @blueland

Over 100 million animals are subjects of animal testing every year in the U.S. Animal testing is done during the formation of many cleaning and personal care products. However, testing chemicals and other substances on animals can be done in a way that is harmful to the animal. At Blueland, our products are all cruelty-free, and there is no animal testing done meaning no animal was harmed in the creation of our products.

What Is Animal Testing?

Many consumer products and medicines containing chemicals, or any other potentially harmful substances are tested in a lab for safety before they find their way into our homes and bodies. Unfortunately, one of the most common ways to test products for safety is to do so on animals. Tests performed on animals are usually done in a sterile lab environment. Small animals like mice, rats, rabbits, some species of monkeys, and even cats and dogs are the animals most likely to be used in animal tests.

Tests performed on animals are aiming to determine if a product or chemical is safe for humans in normal and extreme conditions. Because these animals are so small, this typically means they are exposed to very high concentrations of chemicals and products.

What Are The Harms Of Animal Testing?

There are several reasons to avoid animal testing. The first and most important is that animal testing causes pain and suffering to the animals used as subjects. The lab environment that animals are kept in is typically sterile and far from their natural habitats. Many times, animals are kept in cages and are sometimes even kept in isolation. The environment is only one part of the damage inflicted on animals during animal tests. In addition, the tests that animals undergo can be mild to more severe and can cause significant suffering to the animal. Animals can be exposed to potential toxins, carcinogens and other harmful substances during testing procedures. These tests can be painful and dangerous and typically, once the experiment is complete animals are killed.

Proponents for animal testing site significant medical advances made due to results from animal tests, and a preference for tests to be done on animals as opposed to human subjects. While there have been significant medical advances, science has also advanced significantly and new testing procedures and protocols have been developed and are starting to replace animal testing. There are several alternative testing techniques that avoid using animals completely and are more efficient and affordable. At Blueland, we employ alternative testing techniques to ensure our products are safe for your home and the environment and ensure that our products are cruelty-free.

How To Avoid Products Tested On Animals

Now that you know more about animal testing, you likely want to avoid products that are tested on animals. In order to determine what products avoid animal testing, look for the cruelty-free label. Products that have a cruelty-free label mean that no animal was harmed during the manufacturing process of that animal. It is an easy way to ensure you are choosing the most ethically made products! Leaping Bunny is an organization that partners with companies to evaluate if their products are cruelty-free. Leaping Bunny partners do not initiate or participate in any animal testing procedures for any of their products or ingredients. In addition to looking for the cruelty-free label, look for the Leaping Bunny logo on your products as it will signal to you that the products are cruelty-free!