Question

3% Hydrogen Peroxide has an oral LD50 of 900 mg/kg. Acetic Acid has an oral LD50 of 3310 mg/kg. Which one is more hazardous to consume

Answer 1

LD50 is defined as the lethal dose 50% which describes the amount of material required to kill 50% of the testing population. It is given in units of mg of chemical per kg of bodyweight of the recipient. 

Comparing hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid, we see that peroxide has a lower LD50 of 900 mg/kg, with acetic acid having LD50 = 3310 mg/kg. When comparing LD50 values, the smaller value will be the more toxic compound. What this means is that in this case, a smaller amount of peroxide is required to kill 50% of the testing population compared to acetic acid.

Therefore, 3% hydrogen peroxide is more hazardous to consume.