CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Animal Test Legislation Vetoed

Gov. George Deukmejian vetoed a bill that would have forbidden the use of live animals in certain testing of cosmetics and household products for their safety on humans. Animal rights organizations that had lobbied for the bill contended that ample non-animal tests had been developed and were already being used. But Deukmejian sided with the opponents of the bill, which included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Products Safety Commission. In his veto message, Deukmejian cited the agreement of the three agencies that the tests that would have been outlawed “remain the most valuable and reliable method in determining the safety of new and reformulated products. . . .” He said he is concerned that the bill by Assemblyman Jack O’Connell (D-Carpinteria) “would preclude a viable testing option that may be necessary to ensure that cosmetic and household products are not harmful to the health of consumers.”