The term for the amount of a given substance per volume of air that was deadly to a given percentage of test animals is what?

The term for the amount of a given substance per volume of air that was deadly to a given percentage of test animals is what?

• A. Lethal Dose
• B. Lethal Concentration
• C. Effective Dose
• D. Response

Answer: (B)

In inhalation toxicology, hazards are described by how concentrated a toxin is in the air, not by the amount per body weight. The term that matches “the amount per volume of air that was deadly to a given percentage of test animals” is lethal concentration, which expresses the concentration in air that causes death in a defined percentage of animals (for example, LC50 kills half the animals tested). This differs from lethal dose, which uses amount per body weight, and from an effective dose, which refers to the amount needed to produce a defined nonfatal effect. The general term response is any observed effect, not specifically a lethal concentration.

In inhalation toxicology, hazards are described by how concentrated a toxin is in the air, not by the amount per body weight. The term that matches “the amount per volume of air that was deadly to a given percentage of test animals” is lethal concentration, which expresses the concentration in air that causes death in a defined percentage of animals (for example, LC50 kills half the animals tested). This differs from lethal dose, which uses amount per body weight, and from an effective dose, which refers to the amount needed to produce a defined nonfatal effect. The general term response is any observed effect, not specifically a lethal concentration.