European Commission proposes to update Directive 86/609

[Guest guest]

European Citizens in Ayurvedaonline

 

An update on the long awaited revision of the European

Directive on the protection of animals used in scientific

experiments. For the last 6 years the views of national

organizations researchers, companies and animal welfare

groups have been considered. The result, a revised Directive

86/609 which became the formal proposed legislation of the

European Commission on 5th November 2008. It has been

forwarded to the European Parliament and the Council of

Ministers and will follow the " co-decision " procedure where

both must agree on the final content of the text before it can

be made European law. It will then have a major impact in all

countries in the European Union. It must be implemented with

suitable national laws within a set timetable. It is hoped that

the first reading in parliament will be before the European

elections in June 2009. It is important that the final version

represents our best interests.

 

The commission have given the main reason for the review is

to unify standards in Europe, many countries having passed

their own national laws on animal experimentation since the

directive was originally written. The proposal promises there

will be ethical reviews of all animal experiments. However, an

opportunity to quicken the replacement of animal tests with

validated alternatives could be missed. In Europe today most

alternatives are concerned with toxicity testing of chemicals.

Because only 10% of animal testing is to test chemicals the

Dr Hadwen Trust are asking for an EU Centre of Excellence

to be set up to deal with promoting alternatives methods for

all research.

 

At this time European chemical companies are submitting

testing data on over 30,000 chemicals to the European

Chemicals Agency to comply with the regulations of the new

European chemical testing policy called REACH. This is

because prior to 1981, chemicals did not have to be safety

tested as a legal requirement before being put on the market.

The European Commission see the huge cost of REACH as

justified because it will benefit Europeans by removing the

most toxic chemicals from our society. This belief is valid

provided the testing methods used are the best available.

Validated alternatives are considered at least the equal of

animal tests but the European Commission's list of approved

methods does not include non-animal techniques that were

approved for scientific validity in 2007 by the European Centre

for the Validation of Alternative Methods. This delay has been

criticized by the European parliament MEPs because

companies can continue to use animal tests when proven

alternatives based on human biology are available. Citizens

of Europe can help to make sure this does not happen by

contacting their MEPS and insisting they support the use of

validated alternatives as a legal requirement for the testing of

chemicals.

 

A report entitled Toxicity Testing in the Twenty-first Century: A

Vision and a Strategy published by the US National Research

Council in June 2008 makes it clear that the emphasis of

toxicity testing of chemicals must shift from unwieldy animal

studies to rapid, less expensive and more relevant tests using

human cells. This makes the most of recent research into how

damage occurs at the genetic and cellular level. A multitude of

chemicals in the environment have not been thoroughly tested.

Testing them all using existing animal tests, the report states,

is unworkable due to the huge number of combinations of

chemicals to produce realistic exposure scenarios. However,

latest " high throughput " in vitro tests should make this

possible. The report concludes that over time, the need for

traditional animal testing should be greatly reduced and

possibly even eliminated with emphasis on more efficient in

vitro tests and computational techniques.

 

In October 2008, in Berlin, Germany, a new vitro skin irritation

test was discussed and endorsed by scientists as meeting the

highest standards to successfully classify the toxicity of

chemicals. It may be validated by the European Parliament in

time for the ban on the testing of cosmetics ingredients on

animals after 2009. It would also be an essential resource for

the testing of all chemicals to comply with the EU REACH

chemicals directive. This is the way our chemicals can be

tested, using newly developed techniques when they are

proven superior and more cost effective than conventional

animal tests. The review of Directive 86/609 can help by

making the replacement of animal tests with scientifically

sound alternatives a priority. The European politicians must

be made to realize how important this is.

 

It is in the interest of all Europeans to contact their MEPs

and ask them to promote alternative technology to test

chemicals when the review of Directive 86/609 is debated

in parliament.

 

If you want to make a difference go to

http://www.eceae.org/b_takeaction.php

 

You can also help by telling all your friends and associates

about the review of this important legislation.

 

Thank You

 

Tony from London, England