We are making progress in getting our ideas heard by the right people – but animals still need your help
This week, our Head of Science Policy & Regulation – Chemicals, Dr Emma Grange, met with Rebecca Pow MP to discuss the benefits of using non-animal methods for assuring the safety of chemicals.
Ms Pow, MP for Taunton Deane, is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which is the government department responsible for chemicals policy.
The meeting was organised by groups interested in protecting humans and the environment from the harmful effects of chemicals; they also made the case for accelerating the regulation of chemicals and generating new information without animal testing.
Dr Grange discussed the importance of establishing a UK chemicals regulatory system that provides comprehensive, effective protection for humans and the environment while moving away from reliance on animal tests. Modern non-animal methods are increasingly becoming more reliable and relevant than tests on animals – for example, the latest non-animal approaches for evaluating a chemical’s potential for causing skin sensitisation predict human outcomes with up to 84% accuracy, whereas the most widely-used animal test is just 58% accurate.
Capable of being faster and cheaper, non-animal methods can also enable many more chemicals, and mixtures of chemicals, to be tested than would be possible with animal tests. This is becoming ever more important as the number of chemicals manufactured – and knowledge about the different kinds of hazards they can pose – increases.
Dr Grange’s comments were well-received by Ms Pow and we look forward to continuing a productive relationship with her and the other groups.
Our Target Zero campaign calls for an ambitious government-led strategy to end experiments on animals with a government minister solely dedicated to leading the fast transition to animal-free science. Find out how you can be a Target Zero Hero to end animal experiments in the UK below.