toxicity
noun
David S. CloudRudy M. Baum and Ron DaganiConnie SchultzDahlia Lithwick
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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.
Examples of toxicity in a Sentence
Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 17 Apr. 2024
In 2017, the Google unit released Perspective API, an algorithm for detecting toxicity.
—Billy Perrigo, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
Environmental lawyer Robert Bilott was among the first people to bring national attention to PFAS toxicity.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 12 Apr. 2024
An autopsy report concluded that Kaspar died of an accident involving bupivacaine toxicity and the nerve-blocking agent was found in her bloodstream.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
The way our generation is… all this toxicity going on and everybody just f—king everybody.
—Kyle Denis, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024
As for Europe’s own political toxicity, David isn’t feeling anywhere near as anxious as events in the U.S. have made him.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 20 Mar. 2024
Addressing the keynote panel at the opening day of the 2024 SXSW conference, the Duchess of Sussex addressed online toxicity that had been directed toward her.
—Lachlan Cartwright, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
Testing your water supply for toxicity can be expensive for most people.
—Claire Bugos, Verywell Health, 12 Apr. 2024
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“Toxicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toxicity. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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toxicity
noun
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