The Evening Post, Wellington, correspondent who publicly berated NZAVS for "horrifying the public with nasty pictures and stories"... (Hidden Crimes)... and who criticised the Society over the radio for "regurgitating" such films... merely succeeded in casting doubt and suspicion on her own integrity and intention. NZAVS considers itself responsible for using all available hard-earned evidence to shock and horrify the public out of its apathetic complacency - and does it again with:-

"Products of pain"

... another horrifying and nasty video - which exposes...

Gillette...

the firm with the "disposable blades"....
.. and "throw-away animals"...

At a Press Conference on September 25 1986 Vicky Miller, President of the Toronto Humane Society and National Coordinator of the animal rights group ARK II announced plans for a world-wide Boycott of the Gillette Company. Simultaneous action took place in Washington, USA. The Boycott is based on a secret and undercover video filmed by Leslie Fain who spent 18 months working as an animal technician in a Gillette Laboratory. It is accompanied by notes from her journal and the statistical surveys of animals used at Gillette Medical Evaluation Laboratories.

The Gillette Company is an international firm engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of a wide range of products. Major lines include toiletries, cosmetics, writing equipment and office products, electric shavers, small appliances and oral care products. Gillette is the world market leader of blades and razors.

Globally Gillette maintains six research and development laboratories. The company's nett sales in 1985 were US$2.20 billion and profit from its operations US$380 million. Research and development expenditures total US$64.4 million.

Gillette (Canada) according to the company auditor's report made sales exceeding Can $125 million. Its profits topped Can $16 million. In 1984 it spent over Can $12 million on advertising.

Gillette routinely tortures to death thousands of guinea-pigs, hamsters, rabbits, rats and mice... as follows:

Acute toxicity tests: LD50 or variations (all death tests) and the draize eye test
Gillette forces their products into animals by four routes:

1. Orally: Through tubes down the animals' throats.
   
   
2. Dermally To the animals' shaved, abraided skin (Damage often very severe. On completion of this test the animals are either "recycled" into other tests or thrown out.)
   
   
3. Inhalation The animals are forced to breathe the substance to the death. (This is shown on the video as experimenters standing on ladders manually squirt hairspray into the inhalation chambers - taking turns to poison the victims. Every four minutes they change sides for a total of one hour - or until 15 cans of hairspray are squirted onto the trapped animals.)
   
   
4. The eyes: In The draize test substances are dipped into rabbits' eyes. Damage is measured according to the size of the area injured, the degree of swelling and the amount of irritation. Rabbits scream, claw at their eyes, go frantic with pain. Blindness due to serious injury to the cornea usually occurs. No attempt is made to treat the eye. Efforts made to minimise pain are token and ineffective.

"... The anaesthetic administered at test initiation did little to mitigate the suffering of these animals."
- Extract from a confidential Gillette inter-office memo of January 8 1985.

"Until adequately validated alternatives are available Gillette will continue to use animals judiciously to assure that its products are safe and effective."
- Gillette correspondence.

• Gillette's contribution to developing non-animal tests in USA is reported to be less than one thousand dollars
• It is stated that Gillette Canada has not contributed to the development of non-animal testing techniques (tissue culture work supported by the British Columbia Foundation for non-animal research).
• Documents with the video reveal that Gillette 'Liquid Paper' typewriter correction fluid caused two deaths and that a Gillette Toni Silkwave permanent caused a user to lose all her hair.

NZAVS Appeals to its members to shock and horrify their friends and neighbours by informing them of the truth about Gillette... and by showing them the video... "products of pain"... and it recommends that you... never... never again purchase Gillette products

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