Shortcomings of LD50‐values and acute toxicity testing in animals.
- 13 March 1983
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Acta Pharmacologica et Toxicologica
- Vol. 52 (s2) , 52-64
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0773.1983.tb02683.x
Abstract
The author argues that the standard practice of determining an LD50 with 95% confidence limits is a waste of animals since the extra statistical precision is undermined by numerous other factors. For example, the LD50 of a given chemical often varies by at least 10‐fold between different animal species and strains. Also, environmental factors can result in substantial differences in the LD50 of a given chemical in a given animal strain. Therefore, the use of this measure as a general index of toxicity, as a guide to further pharmacological or toxicological studies, or as a guide to human toxicity involves unnecessary and needless taking of animal life. These points will be amplified and substantiated by actual examples. Finally, the author will make some suggestions as to what could constitute a satisfactory acute animal test given current scientific and regulatory needs.Keywords
This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
- Significance of the LD50-test for the toxicological evaluation of chemical substancesArchives of Toxicology, 1981
- The curve doses vs survival time in the evaluation of acute toxicityJournal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, 1979
- Estimation of toxic hazard—A decision tree approachFood and Cosmetics Toxicology, 1976
- A look at the world from inside the toxicologist's cageEuropean Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 1976
- Susceptibility to captan pesticide of albino rats fed from weaning on diets containing various levels of proteinFood and Cosmetics Toxicology, 1970
- Tables for Convenient Calculation of Median-Effective Dose (LD 50 or ED 50 ) and Instructions in Their UsePublished by JSTOR ,1952
- The error of determination of toxicityProceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Containing Papers of a Biological Character, 1927