California Saluted for First-Ever U.S. Law to Curb Animal Testing by Doris Day Animal League.Business, News & Lifestyle Editors SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2000 The Doris Day Doris Mary Ann von Kappelhoff (born April 3, 1924)[1] is an American singer, actress, and animal welfare advocate known as Doris Day. A vivacious blonde with a wholesome image, Day was one of the most prolific actresses of the 1950s and 1960s. Animal League commended Gov. Gray Davis (D-Calif.) for signing S.B. 2082, sponsored by Sen. Jack O'Connell
Jack T. O'Connell (born October 8, 1951) is a California politician. (D-Santa Barbara), the first statute in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. to curb animal testing Animal testing or animal research refers to the use of animals in experiments. It is estimated that 50 to 100 million vertebrate animals worldwide [4][5][6] . The law will ensure that non-animal, alternative toxicity testing methods approved by the federal Interagency in·ter·a·gen·cy adj. Involving or representing two or more agencies, especially government agencies. Coordinating Committee for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM ICCVAM Interagency Coordination Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods ) and approved by federal agencies are used by industry. "This measure puts teeth into a collaborative approach being used at the federal level to evaluate alternative methods of product research," said O'Connell. "It's the first bill in the nation, at the state level, to restrict the use of animals in testing and is long overdue." New alternative testing methods have been reviewed and accepted at the federal level by the ICCVAM, which is composed of 14 federal regulatory and research agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), independent agency of the U.S. government, with headquarters in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1970 to reduce and control air and water pollution, noise pollution, and radiation and to ensure the safe handling and , the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. The ICCVAM was created by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is one of 27 Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH),which is a component of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The Director of the NIEHS is Dr. David A. Schwartz. to develop a uniform process for assessing the validation of testing methods that reduce or eliminate the use of animals to test product safety. However, there is no requirement at the state or federal level that those alternative tests be used by industry. "After years of arguing that there are no validated alternatives to animal tests, we have the argument on our side," said Sara Amundson, deputy director of the Doris Day Animal League, sponsors of the bill. "This new law is truly the first step in ending 50 years of traditional animal tests. We have Senator O'Connell and Governor Davis to thank for their leadership on this issue of importance to millions of Californians." One non-animal test method developed in California, Corrositex, can replace gruesome corrosivity testing performed on rabbits for a variety of harsh chemicals. Its manufacturer, InVitro International, based in Irvine, Calif., was a strong supporter of the legislation. The Doris Day Animal League, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., was founded by Doris Day to seek permanent changes in local, state and federal legislation to protect animals. For more information on the Doris Day Animal League, contact the organization at 202/546-1761 or www.ddal.org. |
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