Draize test

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PETA photo of a rabbit said to be undergoing a Draize test

The Draize Test is an acute toxicity test devised in 1944 by Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) toxicologists John H. Draize and Jacob M. Spines. Initially used for testing
cosmetics, the procedure involves applying 0.5mL or 0.5g of a test substance to the eye or skin of a
restrained, conscious animal, and then leaving it for set amount of time before rinsing it out and
recording its effects.[1][2] The animals are observed for up to 14 days for signs
of erythema and edema in the skin test, and redness, swelling, discharge, ulceration, hemorrhaging,
cloudiness, or blindness in the tested eye. The test subject is commonly an albino rabbit, though
other species are used too, including dogs.[3] The animals are euthanized after testing if the test
renders irreversible damage to the eye or skin. Animals may be re-used for testing purposes if the
product tested causes no permanent damage. Animals are typically reused after a "wash out" period
during which all traces of the tested product are allowed to disperse from the test site.[4]
The tests are controversial. They are viewed as cruel as well as unscientific by critics because of the
differences between rabbit and human eyes, and the subjective nature of the visual evaluations. The
FDA supports the test, stating that "to date, no single test, or battery of tests, has been accepted by
the scientific community as a replacement [for] ... the Draize test" [5] Because of its controversial
nature, the use of the Draize test in the U.S. and Europe has declined in recent years and is
sometimes modified so that anaesthetics are administered and lower doses of the test substances
used.[6] Chemicals already shown to have adverse effects in vitro are not currently used in a Draize
test,[7] thereby reducing the number and severity of tests carried out.