01816nas a2200205   4500000000100000000000100001008004100002260001500043653002700058653003500085653002000120100001400140700001600154245010200170856004100272300001200313490000700325520125300332022002501585       2022                            d  c2022/05/0110aanimal experimentation10aEthics Committees/Consultation10aResearch ethics1 aMike King1 aHazem Zohny00aAnimal researchers shoulder a psychological burden that animal ethics committees ought to address  uhttps://jme.bmj.com/content/48/5/299  a299-3030 v483 aAnimal ethics committees (AECs) typically focus on the welfare of animals used in experiments, neglecting the potential welfare impact of that animal use on the animal laboratory personnel. Some of this work, particularly the killing of animals, can impose significant psychological burdens that can diminish the well-being of laboratory animal personnel, as well as their capacity to care for animals. We propose that AECs, which regulate animal research in part on the basis of reducing harm, can and ought to require that these harms to researchers are reduced as well. The paper starts by presenting evidence of these burdens and their harm, giving some examples showing how they may be mitigated. We then argue that AECs are well placed to account for these harms to personnel and ought to use their power to reduce their occurrence. We conclude by responding to four potential objections: (1) that this problem should be addressed through health and safety administration, not research ethics administration; (2) that the proposal is unjustifiably paternalistic; (3) that these harms to laboratory animal personnel ought to occur, given their treatment of animals; and (4) that mitigating them may lead to worse treatment of research animals.  a0306-6800, 1473-4257