An article published in the peer-reviewed Medicolegal and Bioethics presents a rare challenge not just to the ethics but also to the science of using non human primates in research.
More Press Releases
Adverse drug reactions kill 197,000 Europeans annually
Jun 23, ’11
09:05 AM
In a letter addressed to EU Commissioner John Dalli, Antidote Europe points to the growing number of scientists who consider animal tests to be about as predictive as, or less than, tossing a coin.
Patients are now the real guinea pigs
Jan 6, ’11
12:48 PM
Antidote Europe welcomes recent French media reports warning the public about dangerous medicines.
BBC presenter Uhlenbroek joins scientists on campaign
Oct 12, ’10
09:00 AM
The campaign’s report presents an immediate science strategy to end poisoning tests on non-human primates.
Making a molehill out of the Bisphenol A mountain
Jul 6, ’10
02:45 PM
Antidote Europe has criticised the French government for taking very timid measures to ban the synthetic chemical bisphenol A (BPA). It makes no sense to protect nursing infants by banning the substance in baby bottles when their mothers are exposed to it on a daily basis — not to mention the effect on the foetuses of pregnant women.
Another warning about bisphenol A
Feb 10, ’10
06:39 AM
Antidote Europe has re-issued its warning on bisphenol A, criticizing the French Food Safety Agency (AFSSA) on its confused and unclear public announcements regarding this chemical.
Antidote Europe receives achievement award
Nov 26, ’09
06:47 AM
Antidote Europe was awarded the Pietro Croce prize.
Is Bisphenol A the new silent killer?
Aug 5, ’09
07:03 AM
Antidote Europe has launched a public campaign regarding the dangers of bisphenol A and has duly informed the new president of the European Parliament.
Bisphenol A, a chemical time bomb?
Jul 8, ’09
07:23 AM
It is difficult to understand why food safety agencies continue to place their trust in ambiguous animal data when human data is readily available. The fact that DES and BPA share striking similarities in their structures is extremely worrisome and lends weight to the possibility that BPA is a “chemical time bomb” in terms of our health.
Press Releases
Obsolete toxicology and human health in peril
Date
Mon 12 Feb 2007
Summary
After the adoption of the REACH regulations, Antidote Europe reminds Mr. Barroso that he has not answered the 140 associations from 12 countries, representing more than 1,200,000 European citizens, who ask that chemical substances responsible for cancer and other serious diseases be tested with truly scientific methods.
Antidote Europe challenges the European Commission on the subject of the tests required in the framework of REACH. Drawn up with the aim of safeguarding human life and the environment, the REACH Regulation was adopted last December. However, rather than making use of modern methods to reveal the toxicity of chemical substances, tests will continue to be conducted, as in the Middle Ages, on animals and to give results that are as uncertain as tossing a coin… unless such results are aimed at showing the harmlessness of substances that are nevertheless dangerous!
Antidote Europe has just written to the European Commission, whose directives determine the methods by which chemical substances are to be tested, reminding it of the existence of scientific methods such as toxicogenomics. This method has already been in use in the United States for some years. More recently, the Joint Research Centre, under the aegis of the European Commission, set up a toxicogenomics department. Since toxicogenomics gives results that are valid for humans, is more rapid and costs less than the tests currently required, why is its use being delayed? Why does the European Commission continue to insist on tests on animals, although these were called “simply bad science” by a member of its own scientific staff?
Belgium will perhaps set a good example. On 29th November last, the Social Affairs Committee of the Belgian Senate passed a motion for a resolution aimed at the creation of a centre for toxicogenomics. Were such a centre to be set up, it would take only two years to test the 100,000 chemical substances potentially present in our environment.
Below is the text of the letter sent by Antidote Europe to Mr. José Manuel Barroso on 8th February last.
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