The Hindu : New Delhi News : ‘Say no to cosmetic testing on animals’

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Friday, Sep 19, 2008
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New Delhi

‘Say no to cosmetic testing on animals’

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (India) have demanded a change in government policy on cosmetic tests on animals, stating that these are not just brutal but also results from them are not foolproof.

“Consequently the determination on whether the tested product is safe or not is a highly subjective matter, producing indeterminate results. Some critics have maintained that animal test data is only used to defend the companies against consumer lawsuits – leaving consumers vulnerable to unsafe products marketed by unscrupulous, greedy companies,” says PETA senior vivisection campaign co-ordinator Dharmesh Solanki.

Companies, he adds, use animals in tests for eye and skin irritancy, skin absorption and photo toxicity. “While these tests cause acute, protracted suffering for the animals involved, none of these tests have ever been validated to ensure that the results obtained accurately reflect human response. As per a European Union directive, there will be a complete ban on the testing of cosmetics on animals within the EU from 2009, including a ban on the marketing of cosmetic products tested on animals. This aims at preventing the sale of cosmetics that have been tested outside the EU by European or non-European countries,” he says.

PETA has also written to the Prime Minister, the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister and the Environment and Forests Minister among others to re-look at the policy on cosmetics tests on animals.

“We had earlier written to the Union Health and Family Welfare Minister to draw attention to the pain and distress suffered by countless animals used to test cosmetics and to highlight the existence of superior non-animal testing methodologies that are faster, cheaper and more effective than animal tests,” says Mr. Solanki.

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

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