Technology Brings Change to Toxicity Testing: Animal rights are at the forefront [Amperes: Current Affairs from Around the World]

Before any industrial chemical, pesticide, drug, vaccine, or medical device comes to market, regulatory agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the European Chemical Agency, and Brazil's National Health Surveillance Agency each measure the toxicity of a new product with their own battery of tests. Almost all of this testing begins with animals, often rats and mice, before the chemical or drug is approved for human trials. It is not uncommon for thousands of animals to be used in the process.