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1.5 million animals used for tests to make cosmetics
Cosmetics and drug companies here tested their products on more than 1.5 million animals last year on whether they were suitable for human use or not.
According to the data submitted by the Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA) to Rep. Joo Seung-yong of the Democratic Party, Thursday, monkeys, dogs, rats and other animals totaling 1.51 million were used in 2010 on various laboratory testing, mostly by cosmetics and pharmaceutical firms.
``Businesses should refrain from testing new products on animals. In many cases, they don’t have to do so, thanks to advanced experimental techniques. They should pay more attention to improving animal welfare,’’ Rep. Joo said.
The lawmaker called for the KFDA to come up with alternative ways to verify the safety of various consumer products.
``It set up a research center to find an alternative testing method that would replace animal experiments. But it has failed to achieve such a goal. With more advanced countries banning animal testing, Korea needs to make more efforts to follow suit,’’ Joo said.