| |
| | The lethal dose (LD) test -(LD-50 test) |
 | | During a lethal dose test, the experimental substance is forced into the animals' throats or is pumped into their stomachs by a tube, sometimes causing death by stomach rupture or from the sheer bulk of the chemical dosage. |
 | | Lethal dose test results can be affected by the age and sex of the animals tested, their housing and nutritional conditions, temperature, time of day and year, and the exact method used to administer the substance.(2) Different species react differently to substances, and reactions between individuals of the same species can also vary greatly. |
 | | For example, nicotine is lethal to humans at 0.9mg/kg, but lethal dose values of nicotine in dogs are a staggering 9.2mg/kg; in pigeons, 75mg/kg; and in rats, 53mg/kg. |
| www.geari.org /faqlethaldose.html (612 words) |
|