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| | OSH Answers: What is an LD50 and LC50 |
 | | In each case, the LD50 value is expressed as the weight of chemical administered per kilogram body weight of the animal and it states the test animal used and route of exposure or administration; e.g., LD50 (oral, rat) - 5 mg/kg, LD50 (skin, rabbit) - 5 g/kg. |
 | | So, the example "LD50 (oral, rat) 5 mg/kg" means that 5 milligrams of that chemical for every 1 kilogram body weight of the rat, when administered in one dose by mouth, causes the death of 50% of the test group. |
 | | The LD50 gives a measure of the immediate or acute toxicity of a chemical in the strain, sex, and age group of a particular animal species being tested. |
| www.ccohs.ca /oshanswers/chemicals/ld50.html (1862 words) |
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