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• Debate:Animal Experimentation

Supporting Evidence

• What is animal testing? Shell.com "No organisation can commission animal testing without being sensitive to understandable concerns about the issue in society. However, all responsible businesses have to ensure that their products are safe for their employees, customers, the wider public and the environment. New product developments have delivered many benefits to society, but they must be demonstrated to be safe.

In the case of oil and chemical products, the use of animals for testing is required where there is no other way of establishing their safety. Although new testing methods have significantly reduced the number of animals used, animals are still needed for some safety testing. Alternative techniques, such as the use of tissue cultures, are used where possible, but these methods cannot yet establish safety in all cases. For example, animals are needed to examine possible effects occurring in the whole mammalian body where complex interactions occur which cannot be seen in isolated cells or cultures.

The regulation of animal testing

Laws and regulations relating to the safety of oil and chemical products exist to protect both people and the environment. Some regulations require tests to be carried out before materials are approved for use. Others have been introduced more recently and applied to existing products to take account of new scientific knowledge, or in some instances to address societal concerns about possible long-term effects. These tests involve the use of animals where that is the only way to meet safety criteria. Tests commissioned by Shell mainly use laboratory-bred rats, mice and fish and do not involve cats, dogs or monkeys."