IT鈥橲 gone completely unnoticed, but it is undoubtedly a victory for animal
rights. A notorious toxicity test, called LD50, will soon be abandoned by the
leading industrialised nations. LD50 stands for 鈥渓ethal dose to 50 per cent鈥�. In
each test, at least 20 animals receive escalating doses of a chemical until half
are dead.
The test, which was invented 50 years ago, will no longer be used in any of
the OECD鈥檚 29 member nations. The regulatory bodies that approve pesticides and
other potentially hazardous chemicals in these countries have agreed to accept
the results of less drastic tests
(see p 6).
The OECD provided the forum for
regulators to discuss and accept alternatives to animal tests. Thousands,
perhaps millions, of animals will be saved.
For decades now, many scientists have seen the test as unnecessarily cruel
and it has long been a rallying point for campaigners against animal
experiments. The OECD says that pressure, particularly from European
campaigners, played a big part in persuading its members to abandon the test.
The real triumph is that the deal was reached through talking鈥攏ot through
terrorising researchers and their families.
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And the OECD says the search for still better alternatives goes on. Reduction
of suffering is now the guiding principle. The aim is to find tests that betray
a chemical鈥檚 toxicity even before it causes pain. The sooner this is achieved,
the better.