Are Animal-Tested Products Safe?
While many products are animal tested, it may not be a surprise that animal studies are not always accurate when it comes to human health and side effects. This includes how different chemicals affect fertility! Continue to read this blog to learn more about animal testing and other alternatives to learning about health effects.
Worldwide, 115 million animals are used in biomedical testing each year--almost the population of Japan.
With numbers this large, there is controversy over the use of animals for science.
Controversy over Animal Testing
Those in favor of animal testing say that it ensures the safety of a drug or chemical. In many situations, it is unethical to test on humans, so animals are used.
Those against the animal testing claim that animal testing is cruel and immoral.
Despite the conflict, animal testing continues. In fact, the government (FDA and EPA) uses animals to determine how much of a chemical is safe for human consumption.
Is Animal Testing Accurate?
According to the FDA, animal testing tells us:
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How much of a chemical is absorbed by the body
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How toxic chemicals are
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How toxic breakdown chemicals (metabolites) are
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How quickly metabolites leave the body
However, current research suggests that animal testing is not necessarily accurate.
A 2019 study found that testing animals does not predict how toxic a chemical is for humans.
“the absence of toxicity in animals (dogs, rats, mice and rabbits and monkeys) provides essentially no insight into the likelihood of a similar lack of toxicity in humans...”
This means that the chemicals that were tested on animals might actually be toxic to people.
Animal Testing and Your Health
There are thousands of chemicals in the environment. They are in our water, food, and the products we use daily. But the safety of these chemicals has come into question in the last several decades. This is because the “safe” levels of these chemicals are based on animal studies.
Further, most chemicals are not tested for how they affect health issues like
For many toxic chemicals, there is no safe level of exposure.
Every Body is Different
It shouldn’t be a surprise that animals are not always good substitutes for humans. Even within our species, there are differences in how individuals respond to the environment. Just think about how some people are lactose intolerant and others have seasonal allergies.
We each process toxic chemicals in our bodies differently.
Men and women even respond differently to health impacts, even down to our cells. Unfortunately, most scientific studies are done in males. Thus, the accuracy of those studies comes into question.
Individualized Testing
Health care is, and should be, personal.
Each of our bodies are unique. We each respond differently to our environment – and the toxic chemicals in our environment. Precision medicine, or individualized health treatment, is the future of healthcare.
Identifying your own sources of these chemical exposures, and avoiding them, can help you optimize your health.
Enter Million Marker
It can be a challenge to pinpoint exactly what is contributing to health problems. However, at Million Marker, we have designed an easy, noninvasive test to help you:
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Learn what’s inside of you
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Identify your chemical exposures
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Find and eliminate the sources of exposures
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Ensure exposures remain minimal with follow-up testing
Our personalized health service allows you to take control of your toxic exposures. Find out more about the ways toxic chemicals can harm your body and pre-order your testing kit today.