Question

toxicity Though they had tested the drug on animals, they suspected the only way to measure its toxicity for humans was by studying accidental human exposures. tɑkˈsɪsəti

Accepted Answer

The state of being poisonous; the degree to which something is poisonous. Toxicity is often a relative thing; in the words of a famous old saying, “The dose makes the poison.” Thus, it's possible to die from drinking too much water, and lives have been saved by tiny doses of arsenic. Even though botulinum toxin is the most toxic substance known, it's the basic ingredient in Botox, which is injected into the face to get rid of wrinkles. With some poisons, mere skin contact can be lethal; others are lethal when breathed into the lungs in microscopic amounts. To determine if a chemical will be officially called a poison, researchers often use the “LD50” test: If 50 milligrams of the substance for every kilogram of an animal's body weight results in the death of 50% of test animals, the chemical is a poison. But there are problems with such tests, and toxicity remains a very individual concept.

word	toxicity
definition	The state of being poisonous; the degree to which something is poisonous.
eg_sentence	Though they had tested the drug on animals, they suspected the only way to measure its toxicity for humans was by studying accidental human exposures.
explanation	Toxicity is often a relative thing; in the words of a famous old saying, “The dose makes the poison.” Thus, it's possible to die from drinking too much water, and lives have been saved by tiny doses of arsenic. Even though botulinum toxin is the most toxic substance known, it's the basic ingredient in Botox, which is injected into the face to get rid of wrinkles. With some poisons, mere skin contact can be lethal; others are lethal when breathed into the lungs in microscopic amounts. To determine if a chemical will be officially called a poison, researchers often use the “LD50” test: If 50 milligrams of the substance for every kilogram of an animal's body weight results in the death of 50% of test animals, the chemical is a poison. But there are problems with such tests, and toxicity remains a very individual concept.
IPA	tɑkˈsɪsəti

Toxicity Animals Substance Chemical State Poisonous Degree Tested