Safer and more accurate alternatives to animal testing have been developed, but are not being used. It is not scientifically feasible to assume that animals will have the same reactions to drugs and cosmetics as humans. In addition, animal testing is unethical. Reading descriptions of what takes place during animal testing (for example: reading about how chemicals are dripped into rabbit’s eyes) is horrifying. That is why it is necessary to start putting these alternatives into action. Having “organs on chips,” a method developed at Harvard University, is one of the primary alternatives to animal testing. These chips contain human cells and show the development of reactions to drugs and cosmetics as they pertain to humans. This method will give much more accurate results and is more ethical than animal testing. Another method that has been developed is using human blood cells. This method is specifically for testing whether or not drugs will cause humans to develop a fever. Although this method does not give as wide of range of results as the “organs on a chip” method, it is extremely accurate in testing a major side effect. Finally, computer simulations are also a safe alternative. This method not only shows the side effects of drugs, but it also breaks down how the human develops the side effect, allowing the scientists to see the cause of the reaction and easily make an adjustment. These are three of the many alternatives to animal testing that need to be implemented into drug and cosmetic testing.
