Nexus - 0802 - New Times Magazine-pages

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regulatory guidelines for the safety assessment of chemicals * Prilosec: The release of this gastrointestinal medication was worldwide until 10 years ago. In the United States, although the delayed for 12 years because of an effect in animals which did not FDA no longer requires the test and will accept in vitro and other occur in humans. non-animal-based alternatives, it still accepts the LDS50—so the ¢ Streptomycin: This popular antibiotic caused birth defects testing continues. such as limb malformations in the offspring of rats. In November 2000, the Organisation for Economic Co- Operation and Development (OECD), which comprises 29 mem- | THE CANCER WAR ber countries, agreed to abolish the LD50 test and phase it out Awnin to Dr Ray and Jean Swingle Greek, 40 per cent of during 2001.'° But the alternatives which will take its place are us will have a diagnosis of cancer at some time in our lives. merely a refinement of the original; they still involve the use of It is the one disease which most of us will have had some animals and therefore are still wholly unreliable indicators for encounter with, whether personally or through contact with human health. friends or family. But despite billions of dollars poured into "can- In the United States, the Voluntary Children's Health Chemical cer research", the medical establishment is not winning its war Testing Program is being developed by the Environmental against the Big C. Deaths from the disease are increasing; for Protection Agency (EPA), and it involves extensive animal testing example, from 1973 to 1992 they went up by 6.3 per cent in the to determine the "safe" amount of toxic poi- United States. sons to which children can be exposed. The Greeks reveal in their book that despite thousands of substances being fed WHAT DOESN'T WORK FOR to, painted on and injected into hundreds of ANIMALS MAY WORK FOR HUMANS millions of animals, we are no closer to sav- s well as animal tests allowing unsafe Even the most widely ing lives. In many cases, it [animal experi- drugs onto the market, the flip side is mentation] has actually led to more life loss that human health is also compromised when respected textbook on and introduced new dangers," they argue. drugs which may be beneficial to humans a i H H There a than 200 different forms vs wy ec pan @= | animal experimentation "ca" moran 20a rms have side effects, some of which are more states: terparts in animals, although even these dif- acute than others, but many useful medica- " Ah Fi fer greatly from those in humans in terms of tions used to save lives would not have Uncritical reliance cause, effect, treatment and prognosis. An reached clinical trials if they had first been on the results of animal histiocytoma is fatal in humans but benign tested on animals. tests can be dangerously in dogs, as all cancers have species- We only have to look in our own specific effects. medicine cabinets for examples. Today, misleading and has cost Ironically, in the 1950s the only the health and lives of around 29 billion aspirin per year are known carcinogens were those found sold in the United States and twice that by studying humans epidemiological- tens of thousands of humans." number worldwide, yet aspirin causes ly, the authors explain. "A study of birth defects in mice and rats and results dyeworkers showed a high incidence in such extensive blood abnormalities in of bladder cancer," they write. cats that they can only take 20 per cent "Droves of dyed lab animals failed to of the human dosage every third day.” prove the rule. Chromium was found Another painkiller, ibuprofen, causes to be carcinogenic in humans but not kidney failure in dogs, even at low in animals. The link between radiation doses. and cancer was also reported from Other prescription drugs were initial- clinical studies by that time. In 1956, ly unavailable to people because animal British doctors warned of carcinogenic studies predicted side effects not found in humans. They include: effects of X-rays given during pregnancy, resulting in childhood * Corticosteroids: These have been shown to cause cancer in cancers. But no amount of irradiated pregnant quadrupeds neces- some rodents, despite their being used safely by humans for years. sarily produced the same effect. ¢ Depo-Provera: This contraceptive was barred from release in "In these instances and many others, the inability to validate the US in 1973 because it caused cancer in dogs and baboons. carcinogenicity in animals kept cancer-causing agents legal for a ¢ FK506: This anti-rejection drug was almost shelved before it | much longer time." proceeded to clinical trials. After experimenting on dogs, Asbestos is another example. The link between cancer and researchers said animal toxicity was too severe to proceed to the asbestos was made as long ago as 1907; but, after scientists failed clinical trial stage. to induce the disease in animals, it took more than 30 years before * Furosemide: Mice, rats and hamsters suffer liver damage the human-model evidence became irrefutable. from this diuretic, but humans do not. It is widely prescribed for Ray and Jean Greek point out that, between 1970 and 1985, the treatment of high blood pressure and heart disease. researchers subjected an estimated 300 to 400 million animals to ¢ Isoniazid: This medication, commonly used for treating more than half a million compounds to check for anticancer tuberculosis, caused cancer in animals. effects. Based on these animal experiments, only 80 compounds * Penicillin: The release of penicillin was delayed when its dis- progressed to clinical trials. Just 24 proved to have any anticancer coverer, Alexander Fleming, put it to one side because it did not activity in humans, and, of these, 12 went on to have a substantial work in rabbits. This is because rabbits excrete penicillin in their role in chemotherapy. But, all 12 of these compounds were urine. Only when Fleming had a sick human patient and nothing chemical variations of previously known chemotherapeutic else to try, did he administer penicillin—with excellent results. agents. The fact that these chemicals could be used to fight * Prilosec: The release of this gastrointestinal medication was delayed for 12 years because of an effect in animals which did not occur in humans. ¢ Streptomycin: This popular antibiotic caused birth defects such as limb malformations in the offspring of rats. humans." NEXUS 29 Even the most widely "Uncritical reliance on the results of animal tens of thousands of FEBRUARY — MARCH 2001