Question

The LD50 of rat poison would be 0.30mg/kg if a subway rat with a mass of 0.85kilograms ingested 0.50mg. Therefore, the toxicologist evaluating the rat concluded that the rat had a 50% chance of death. Is the conclusion of the toxicologists TRUE or FALSE? True False

Answer 1

The toxicologist's conclusion is false because the rat has received a dose higher than the LD50, indicating more than a 50% chance of death.

Step-by-step explanation:

The LD50 represents the dose of a substance that is lethal to 50% of a test population, typically measured in mg/kg. In this case, the LD50 value being considered is 0.30mg/kg for rat poison. Given a subway rat with a mass of 0.85kg that has ingested 0.50mg of poison, we can calculate the dose received by this particular rat.

To assess the toxicologist's conclusion, we need to calculate the dose per kilogram of the rat's body weight: Dose (mg/kg) = Amount ingested (mg) / Body weight (kg). Substituting the values we get: Dose (mg/kg) = 0.50mg / 0.85kg = approximately 0.588mg/kg. Since this calculated dose is higher than the LD50 value of 0.30mg/kg, the toxicologist’s conclusion that there is a 50% chance of death would be FALSE. The rat has received a dose that exceeds the LD50, suggesting a higher likelihood of death than just 50%.