For a certain insecticide, the LD-50 dosage level for rats is determined to be 250 milligrams per kilogram of body mass. On the
basis of this information, which of the following is the best prediction regarding the consequences of receiving this dosage of the insecticide? Fifty percent of any rat population would be sickened.
Fifty percent of the population of any warm-blooded animal would die.
Fifty percent of any population of mosquitoes would die.
Five hundred out of every one thousand people wouldexperience acute effects
Five hundred out of every one thousand rats would die.
Five hundred out of every one thousand rats would die
Explanation:
Median lethal dose LD-50 (lethal dose 50%) is used as a measure of poisoning potential of a substance. LD-50 is the dose of substance, given all at once, which causes the death of 50% (one half) of a group of test animals. LD-50 is usually expressed as the amount of chemical administered (e.g., milligrams) per 100 grams or per kilogram of the body weight of the test animal. In this example, the test animals were rats, they were administrated a certain insecticide. Administration methods that are the most common are dermal (applied to the skin) and oral (given by mouth). If the determined LD-50 is 250 milligrams per kilogram of body mass, it means that one half (five hundred) of one thousand rats would die, because we are talking about lethal doses.
