The information on this website is not a substitute for diagnosis and treatment by a qualified, licensed professional. But, putting ethical issues aside, it is questionable whether animal tests are actually effective in predicting the dangers posed to humans by drugs and other chemicals. For example, of 19 chemicals known to cause cancer in humans, only 7 caused cancer in standard animal tests.
Results vary widely even between different test animal species.
Tests on rats and mice yield different answers for one in every three substances tested. The toxic effects of drugs are often missed in animal experiments. Researchers have come up with a variety of new tests using human cell cultures and computer modeling programs that can replace animal testing. The latter compare a chemical's molecular structure to that of known toxins in order to assess the level of toxicity. Some human cell tests are already in use, such as the Eytex system.