LD50 is used to describe mortality in which population?

LD50 is used to describe mortality in which population?

• A. Animal population
• B. Human population
• C. Plant population
• D. Bacterial population

Answer: (A)

LD50 is the amount of a substance that would kill 50% of a defined population under controlled conditions. In toxicology, this statistic is derived from testing on animals (commonly rodents) to quantify acute toxicity and compare how dangerous different substances are. Humans aren’t subjected to LD50 experiments for ethical reasons, though humans may be risk-assessed by extrapolation from animal data. Plants and bacteria use different toxicity metrics, not LD50 for animal populations. So the population described by LD50 is animals.

LD50 is the amount of a substance that would kill 50% of a defined population under controlled conditions. In toxicology, this statistic is derived from testing on animals (commonly rodents) to quantify acute toxicity and compare how dangerous different substances are. Humans aren’t subjected to LD50 experiments for ethical reasons, though humans may be risk-assessed by extrapolation from animal data. Plants and bacteria use different toxicity metrics, not LD50 for animal populations. So the population described by LD50 is animals.