Ethical Principles in Laboratory Animal Use Quiz

Ethical Principles and Guidelines for Laboratory Animal Use

• Sundowner Principles address the use of sedation, analgesia, anesthesia, humane endpoints, veterinary care, and personnel qualifications.
• Descriptive ethics studies actual values or standards of a profession, with the Sundowner, CIOMS, and IRAC principles being major components in governing laboratory animal use.
• Historical development of ethical principles for animal experimentation dates back to the 19th century in the UK and the US.
• The Interagency Research Animal Committee (IRAC) U.S. Government Principles for the Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training (1985) outline key principles for animal use in research, testing, and training.
• The principles emphasize the importance of animal welfare, relevance of procedures to human or animal health, selection of appropriate species and quality, and the use of minimal animals required for valid results.
• Proper use of animals includes the avoidance or minimization of discomfort, distress, and pain, with the consideration that procedures causing pain or distress in humans may also do so in animals.
• Procedures causing more than momentary or slight pain or distress should be performed with appropriate sedation, analgesia, or anesthesia, and animals suffering severe or chronic pain should be painlessly killed.
• Living conditions of animals should be appropriate for their species, and veterinary care should be provided as indicated.
• Investigators and other personnel should be appropriately qualified and experienced for conducting procedures on living animals, and in-service training for humane care and use of laboratory animals should be provided.
• Exceptions to the principles should be made with appropriate review, and solely for teaching or demonstration purposes.
• Professional guidelines for laboratory animal use include the Principles of Veterinary Medical Ethics, Veterinary Oath of the American Veterinary Medical Association, and Position Statements of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS), all emphasizing the humane care and use of research animals.
• The commitment to the humane care and use of research animals is central to these codes of conduct, principles, statements of ethics, and position statements.