Lethal Dose Value

Pronunciation
/LEETH-ul DOZ VAl-yoo/
Category
Toxicity

Definition

The quantity of a substance required to kill a specified proportion of a sample population, usually expressed as LD50 which is the dose lethal to 50% of the test organisms.

Etymology

From Latin 'letalis', meaning 'deadly', and 'dose', referring to a quantity of a substance.

Example

The LD50 of malathion in rats is 5,500 mg/kg.

Related Terms

Usage Notes

Lethal Dose Value (LD) is often expressed as LD50, which represents the dose lethal to 50% of the test population. The LD value is used to compare the toxicity of different substances.