Most of us look forward to the continued development of new products that enrich and improve the quality of our daily lives. At the same time, it's critical that we can count on their safety—both for ourselves and future generations. Few would want to go back to the days when the safety of workers, consumers, and our natural environment was not a priority. Great strides have been made in finding ways to reduce the need for animals in safety and medical testing. The search for reliable non-animal test methods continues with ongoing sophisticated scientific research. Where animals must still be used, both the public and research community insist on high standards of humane animal care and treatment. Will scientists ever know enough to completely replace the use of animals in safety research? No one truly knows the answer to that question. One thing is certain—many of the complex ways in which body systems interact cannot yet be duplicated outside the living body. At least for the near future, non-animal systems, laboratory animals, and clinical testing with human volunteers will all contribute important information to protect our health and well-being. (Regulatory Background Information)
						Q What does product safety research have to do with the environment? A Consumer products and their ingredients must be manufactured and disposed of in ways that don’t pose serious safety problems for humans, animals, or the natural environment—our air, soil, and water.