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ANIMAL TESTING POLICY

8 July 2003

Core Facts and WWF Commitments

There is now overwhelming evidence that ecosystems, wildlife and people are under threat from pervasive and global chemical contamination. Around the world, wild animals have been found with deformities and other developmental abnormalities. Numerous studies have established strong links between certain chemicals and these effects in birds, fish, alligators, seals, and other species. Studies in humans have also uncovered connections between the same chemicals and childhood cancers, premature births, and intellectual impairment.

WWF is working to reduce and eliminate the world's most dangerous chemicals by promoting increased understanding, regulation, and use of safer alternatives. WWF has urged governments to identify, control, and phase out the hazardous chemicals responsible for damage to wildlife and humans.

Part of this process requires focused chemical testing which WWF believes should rely on non-animal methods wherever these are available. Even where non-animal test methods are not available, we oppose any outdated or unnecessary animal testing. At the same time, we continue to call for increased funding to develop non-animal tests as a matter of urgency. Underlying these views, WWF supports the swiftest possible transition away from animal testing consistent with placing the fewest animals at risk of exposure to harmful chemicals, whether in the wild or in laboratories.

WWF's Advocacy of Alternatives to Animal Testing

Given significant recent strides in biomedical science, there is enormous potential for developing alternative non-animal test methods. Examples of WWF's commitment to promoting alternatives to animal testing and to reducing the use of test animals include:

• In Europe, WWF has worked alongside animal welfare organisations in suggesting improvements to chemicals policy reforms, such as the European Commission's REACH initiative, and applying public pressure on governments to significantly increase funding into alternatives to animal tests and to more rapidly adopt existing alternatives;

• In the UK, WWF has urged the government to speed up the procedure for acceptance and validation of currently available alternative methods;

• In the US, WWF has supported adding funds to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency budget to support non-animal testing and the targeting of that agency's endocrine disruption screening and testing program on just 1-2 percent of the potentially eligible chemicals (those that are likely to be most dangerous);

• WWF has called for safety testing to be prioritised and tiered, initially focusing on non-animal methods such as computer models, as well as tests for persistence and bioaccumulation, and existing data;

• WWF has pressed for increased sharing of safety data by corporations and governments to minimise duplicate testing; and

• WWF has urged governments and the private sector to phase out the production and use of very persistent chemicals (those that don't break down in the environment) and very bioaccumulative chemicals (those that build up over time in animals and humans) without any toxicity testing, because these chemicals are clearly undesirable.

As a result of these actions and others by concerned citizens and decision makers around the world, WWF looks forward to the day when future generations of humans and wildlife are safeguarded from chemical threats, and animal testing is committed to the annals of history.

Proposed REACH Program

The European Commission is developing proposals for a new system to regulate chemicals, commonly known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals). The proposed system would create far-reaching changes in how chemicals are regulated in Europe, phasing out existing chemicals of high concern in favor of safer alternatives while preventing new chemicals of high concern from entering the market. In addition, the burden of proof would be placed squarely on industry to demonstrate the safety of chemicals already on the market. Discussions of REACH often assume that 30,000 chemicals will be tested, and that tests on this scale will be carried out on animals. In fact, far fewer chemicals are likely to be tested, and existing EU law already requires that non-animal tests be used wherever reasonably and practically available.

Protecting Wildlife and People - for Today and Tomorrow

WWF is committed to protecting the diversity of wildlife species for future as well as present generations. As the world’s leading voice for nature conservation, we are extremely concerned by the risks to thousands of species—human beings among them—that are subjected to an uncontrolled chemical experiment of global proportions through daily exposure to hazardous substances. Ending this cruel experiment would be an enormous victory not only for wildlife, but for everyone concerned with animal welfare. Toward that end, we will continue to work with individuals and organizations sharing our view, as part of a collective effort directed at an urgent common cause—protecting life on Earth.

July 2003

For further information, contact:

Tina Skaar, Senior Programme Officer, WWF-US, Tel: +1 202 778 9606, e-mail: tina.skaar@; or the WWF office nearest you.

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