Nicotine Experiments on Animals

On January 23, 2008 local members and supporters of In Defense of Animals held an educational outreach at the Oregon Health Science University Richmond neighborhood Family Health Center on the corner of SE 39th and Division in Portland Oregon.

Their purpose was to inform the public and workers at the Oregon Health Science University offices at that location about nicotine research performed by Eliot Spindel at the OHSU Primate Center.
For over 20 years Spindel has been receiving tax dollars to conduct nicotine experiments on monkeys, experiments which have devastating effects on these animals. Since 1992 the National Institute of Health (NIH) has given him $7.6 million for his research, money which will continue until 2012.

"Every time his funding runs out, he changes his experiment a little bit and gets funded again," said Matt Rossell, of In Defense of Animals."

This is a 7 minute video, which includes interviews with three of the participants:

According to a flyer handed out at the event, "Spindel implants nicotine pumps into the backs of pregnant monkeys, delivering daily doses of the addictive substance to the mothers so that he can cut their babies out at various stages of development and dissect their lungs."

Matt Rossell said that "this is a ridiculous experiment," that the money would be better spent providing smoking cessation education for pregnant women who are finding it difficult to quit smoking.

"This is coming at a time when OHSU just announced that they are shutting down all kinds of services, the dental clinics, outlying services for rural folks...why waste this money on nicotine research, torturing monkeys when we could use it to help people and keep these other clinics open?"

"The early experiment that were done misled people into believing that smoking wasn't as dangerous as it is. This is an example of how animal research doesn't work, that you can't use an animal reliably as a model for human disease, and there are certainly human patients that they can and are studying when it comes to nicotine." Matt can be reached at 503-249-9996 or Matt@idausa.org.

In Defense of Animals asks the public to please let OHSU and the National Heart, Lung and Heart Institute of the National Institute of Health hear that you want these experiments stopped.

Joseph Robertson, Jr., MD
President OHSU
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Portland, Oregon, 97239-3098
503-494-7891
elliojer@ohsu.edu (Dr. Roberson's assistant)

Elizebeth G. Nabel, MD
Director, National Hear, Lung and Heart Institute
Building 31, Room 5A48
31 Center Dr. MSC 2486
301-496-5166
nabele@nhibi.nih.gov
If you work in OHSU's animal labs or know someone who does, please email animalwhistleblower@idausa.org;
Or call 1-888-WBHELPS to report wrongdoing.

See www.whistleblower.org for more information. (more) (less)

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• nicotine
• animal
• experiments
• research
• torture
• cruel
• spindel
• ohsu
• primate
• vivisection

[spectrum10]

It's already well documented that tobacco smoke effects two of the most important organs in the body: The heart and lungs. The development of lung cancer after many years of smoking is not a certainty, but the odds of contracting it are increased astronomically by smoking. Smoke constituents which enter the blood stream cause the inside of the arteries to become rougher. The rougher surface allows fatty deposits to stick to the inside of the arteries more readily, resulting in arteriosclerosis.

[xoxRocketQueenxox]

Unbelievable. What is wrong with people? Animals are not the same as humans, testing is pointless on animals. As well as downright inhumane.

[milkbone11111]

how about the owner of tobacco products and the scientists that waste our money gets tested on?

[upcycle]

the reason why is because legislaters need something to use against tobacco companies continually saying that nicotine is harmless.

[ballersack]

@iamafunnyguylol

Good argument, "animals are animals".

Never thought of that.

[godkingRoss]

stop testing on monkeys!

do it on otters, nobody cares about them.

[Animalib1948]

IDA are doing are great job, bringing awareness to people, thank you so much for all your hard work. And thank goodness for the internet. Personally, I tried my best to only buy products that are not experimented on animals and try to use herbal remedies as much as possible. Vivisection is not only cruel to innocent and defenseless animals but is also completely invalid and people need to know this.

[ParallelWorlds3000]

What disgusting conduct. How dare anyone say anything in favor of this lunacy! IT MUST BE STOPPED!

[bitterbonker]

Hazleton Laboratories provided animal data favorable to the tobacco industry that contributed to the continued marketing of cigarettes. Hazleton was a "major research contractor" for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), & for nine U.S. cigarette manufacturers since 1970. Between February of 1978 & March of 1980, Hazleton conducted a two-year study for NCI on the cardiovascular effects of mainstream cigarette smoke & carbon monoxide on "204 permanently tracheostomized male beagle" dogs.

[bitterbonker]

The American Cancer Society (ACS) was an early promulgator of the link

between smoking & cancer in the landmark epidemiological studies

(comparisons within/between human populations) of 1952 & 1959.

However, the tobacco industry was able to delay widespread acceptance

of this link largely because animals in studies did not develop cancer.

Decades of vague & inconclusive results enabled them to perpetuate

confusion & prevent doctors from giving authoritative warnings.

[missrehal]

your are an idiot assholl.......let cut your wife take her baby out and kill it just to see of the test work.

people like you have to hurt what sooooo ever.....here's one idea i have may the coverment should stop making smokes once and for all .

if these assholls dont want people to smoke anymore they sure know how to stop it buuuuutttt no lets kill animals....lets kill you assholl furker...go to church!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!

[iamafunnyguylol]

Lol, u idiots, animals are animals,

think people. if we do these experiences

on animals, there are more chances

of us to develop in our medical technology level.