Lethal dose-50 refers to the amount of a poisonous compound needed to be lethal to half of the test population. It is one means to assess the acute toxicity of the substance. Lethal dose-50 has been largely phased out amid concerns about the cruelty to animals that it perpetuates.
Lethal dose-50 testing is done on animals, most commonly rats and mice. The lethal dose-50 level is usually expressed as the amount of compound administered in milligrams per 100 grams when small animals are tested, and per kilogram when large animals are tested. Administration of the substance is usually oral or dermal.
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