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Webinar recording: Can we enhance chemical safety and still ensure animal welfare?

Policy

Webinar recording: Can we enhance chemical safety and still ensure animal welfare?

Published on 01 Dec 2021

Animal testing of chemicals understandably raises emotions; the idea of experimenting on animals is repulsive to most of us. But even if we can gain a lot of information through alternative methods, there are important properties of potentially harmful chemicals that we cannot investigate without animal testing – at least not yet.

The Chemical Strategy is asking for more scientific knowledge and investigation of the chemicals that go into our everyday products, a request that many are concerned will contradict the ambitions to reduce animal testing. This dilemma has leapfrogged to the forefront of the discussion.

Is there a way to solve the apparent conflict between animal welfare and safe management of chemicals? This question was discussed from the perspective of three different speakers at the webinar.

What you can expect to learn:

– What are the scientific possibilities of understanding hazardous properties of chemicals without using animal models?
– For which reasons are regulators asking companies for animal test data?
– What options for reducing animal testing are already available?
– In a future without animal testing, how can chemical safety be ensured?

Speakers:

Mike Rasenberg, Acting Director of Hazard Assessment, European Chemicals Agency
Professor Christina Rudén, Department of Applied Environmental Science, Stockholm University
Dr. Anna Lennquist, ChemSec