Minimum lethal dosage

FIGURE 5.9. Example of minimum lethal dosage (MLD) pyramiding dose design. 

Toxicity. Acute toxicity for most species ranges from 100-500 mg/kg. For example, the minimum lethal dosage is 100 m kg for dogs, 200 mg/kg for cattle, 6Q-360 mgAg for horses, and 300 mg Ag for ducks. 

Toxicity. The estimated minimum lethal dose is 0.5 g. Blood concentrations in the region of 1 pg/ml are likely to cause toxic reactions concentrations of 2 pg/ml or more may be lethal. In fatalities in which dextropropoxyphene is involved, it is common to find much greater concentrations in the liver and lungs than in the blood. Addicts can ingest 10 times the normal dosage before showing toxicity whereas children show toxic symptoms after only one-twentieth of the normal dose. 

Reliable knowledge of the typical effects of a chemical agent over a range of dosage, and under various conditions, provides the basis for rational preventive or remedial measures. Undeniably, this information may also be useful in designing weapons. On the other hand, the development of relatively safe incapacitating agents may pave the way to methods to battle enemy forces with a minimum of lethal outcomes. Many risks, many choices, and many ways to interpret benefits are all parts of a complex equation. 

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