May 30, 2012—PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is campaigning against a draft recommendation by the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products that some tobacco products be tested on animals, according to an Ecorazzi story relayed by Tobacco China Online.
‘This guidance would allow companies to conduct cruel animal tests to demonstrate the “reduced risks” of new products and ingredients,’ PETA was quoted as saying.
PETA says that the tests are not beneficial to humans because animals that are forced to breathe in smoke do not develop the same diseases as those that humans develop.
It says that the tobacco industry has misled the public with such results for decades, denying the link between smoking and cancer.
‘In some of the horrendous tobacco tests that could be conducted, rats would be forced to breathe tobacco smoke for as long as six hours a day for months at a time by jamming the animals into tiny canisters and pumping concentrated cigarette smoke directly into their noses,’ PETA was quoted as saying. ‘The animals would then be killed and their bodies dissected.’
Belgium, Germany and the UK are said to have banned animal testing for tobacco products, while Canada uses ‘modern, non-animal methods’ to test the products’ safety.
PETA is asking the public to urge the FDA to do the same.
The organisation said that people needed to tell the FDA loudly and clearly that no more animals should suffer and die in these archaic, inaccurate, and cruel tests conducted in respect of products that were known to be deadly when used as directed.
‘Please exercise your right as a US citizen to submit a polite comment to the FDA urging it to remove any language recommending or allowing animal tests from its draft guidance on tobacco product testing,’ PETA urged.
Comments to the FDA regarding the draft recommendation can be made before June 4.