The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working to reduce and replace the use of vertebrate animals in its chemical safety testing program and is seeking comments on its strategic plan to meet that goal. This is the accumulation of decades of work by dedicated organizations and activists, so it’s important to keep the momentum going. You can help by supporting EPA’s effort to replace animals with alternative testing methods. Tens of thousands of animals, particularly mice, rats, and fish, could be spared from lethal dose tests and suffering in other tests measuring corrosivity, irritancy, carcinogenicity, and developmental toxicity. The biggest hurdle was overcome in June 2016 when Congress passed the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, which called for the modernization of chemical testing required by the 40-year-old Toxic Substance Control Act. The Act requires EPA to “reduce and replace…the use of vertebrate animals in the testing of chemical substances or mixtures.” You can help create meaningful, lasting change for animals! Tell the EPA that you support its effort to replace the use of animals with alternatives in chemical safety tests. |