Key points from the chart
- The chart ranks 55 substances by median lethal dose (LD50), from water at 90,000 mg/kg to botulinum toxin at 1 ng/kg.
- Sucrose (29,700 mg/kg), ethanol (7,060 mg/kg) and salt (3,000 mg/kg) are near the top; caffeine is 192 mg/kg.
- Drugs, venoms and toxins fill the lower half, with bacterial toxins (Shiga, tetanus and botulinum) at the bottom.
All values are from the graphic by CEUfast, which cites Wikipedia’s article on the median lethal dose and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
All 55 substances on the chart
Title: The Lethal Doses of 55 Substances. Subtitle: How much of these 55 substances does it take to be lethal? A scale runs from less toxic (100,000 mg/kg) to more toxic (1 ng/kg). Values and descriptions are as printed.
Introduction on the graphic, in short: the LD50 is the dose required to kill half of the tested population during a specific test duration, and a general indicator of acute toxicity.
| # | Substance | LD50 shown | In g/kg | Description on the card |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Water | 90,000 mg/kg | 90 g/kg | |
| 2 | Sucrose | 29,700 mg/kg | 29.7 g/kg | table sugar |
| 3 | Monosodium glutamate | 16,600 mg/kg | 16.6 g/kg | MSG |
| 4 | Stevioside | 15,000 mg/kg | 15 g/kg | from stevia |
| 5 | Gasoline | 14,063 mg/kg | 14 g/kg | petrol |
| 6 | Vitamin C | 11,900 mg/kg | 11.9 g/kg | |
| 7 | Lactose | 10,000 mg/kg | 10 g/kg | milk sugar |
| 8 | Aspartame | 10,000 mg/kg | 10 g/kg | |
| 9 | Cyanuric acid | 7,700 mg/kg | 7.7 g/kg | component of bleach |
| 10 | Ethanol | 7,060 mg/kg | 7.06 g/kg | |
| 11 | Melamine | 6,000 mg/kg | 6 g/kg | found in dishware and “magic erasers” |
| 12 | Sodium chloride | 3,000 mg/kg | 3 g/kg | salt |
| 13 | Acetaminophen | 1,944 mg/kg | 1.944 g/kg | paracetamol |
| 14 | THC | 1,270 mg/kg | 1.27 g/kg | |
| 15 | Cannabidiol | 980 mg/kg | 0.98 g/kg | CBD |
| 16 | Methanol | 810 mg/kg | 0.81 g/kg | |
| 17 | Ibuprofen | 636 mg/kg | 0.636 g/kg | |
| 18 | Formaldehyde | 600 mg/kg | 0.6 g/kg | |
| 19 | Solanine | 590 mg/kg | 0.59 g/kg | component of nightshade plants |
| 20 | Psilocybin | 280 mg/kg | 0.28 g/kg | |
| 21 | Hydrochloric acid | 238 mg/kg | 0.238 g/kg | used for cleaning, batteries, and fireworks |
| 22 | Ketamine | 229 mg/kg | 0.229 g/kg | anesthesia medication |
| 23 | Aspirin | 200 mg/kg | 0.2 g/kg | |
| 24 | Caffeine | 192 mg/kg | 0.192 g/kg | |
| 25 | Sodium nitrate | 180 mg/kg | 0.18 g/kg | used in cured meat |
| 26 | MDMA/Ecstasy | 160 mg/kg | 0.18 g/kg (as printed) | |
| 27 | DDT | 135 mg/kg | 0.135 g/kg | insecticide |
| 28 | Uranium | 114 mg/kg | 0.114 g/kg | |
| 29 | Bisoprolol | 100 mg/kg | 0.1 g/kg | beta blocker medication |
| 30 | Cocaine | 96 mg/kg | 0.096 g/kg | |
| 31 | Sodium thiopental | 64 mg/kg | 0.064 g/kg | used in lethal injection |
| 32 | Methamphetamine | 57 mg/kg | 0.057 g/kg | |
| 33 | Sodium fluoride | 52 mg/kg | 0.052 g/kg | |
| 34 | Capsaicin | 47.2 mg/kg | 0.0472 g/kg | active component of chili peppers |
| 35 | Vitamin D3 | 37 mg/kg | 0.037 g/kg | from exposure to sunlight |
| 36 | Heroin | 21.8 mg/kg | 0.0218 g/kg | |
| 37 | LSD | 16.5 mg/kg | 0.0165 g/kg | |
| 38 | Arsenic | 13 mg/kg | 0.013 g/kg | |
| 39 | Sodium cyanide | 6.4 mg/kg | 0.0064 g/kg | |
| 40 | Chlorotoxin | 4.3 mg/kg | 0.0043 g/kg | scorpion toxin |
| 41 | Nicotine | 0.8 mg/kg | 0.0008 g/kg | |
| 42 | Fentanyl | 300 µg/kg | 0.0003 g/kg | |
| 43 | Sarin | 172 µg/kg | 0.000172 g/kg | nerve agent |
| 44 | Inland taipan venom | 25 µg/kg | 0.000025 g/kg | |
| 45 | Ricin | 22 µg/kg | 0.000022 g/kg | from castor oil plant |
| 46 | TCDD | 20 µg/kg | 0.00002 g/kg | in Agent Orange |
| 47 | CRTX-A | 5 µg/kg | 0.000005 g/kg | from box jellyfish |
| 48 | Latrotoxin | 4.3 µg/kg | 0.0000043 g/kg | from widow spider venom |
| 49 | Batrachotoxin | 2 to 7 µg/kg | 0.000002 g/kg | from poison dart frog |
| 50 | Maitotoxin | 130 ng/kg | 0.00000013 g/kg | from algae eaten by ciguatera fish |
| 51 | Polonium-210 | 10 ng/kg | 0.00000001 g/kg | used for nuclear weapons production and to eliminate static |
| 52 | Diphtheria toxin | 10 ng/kg | 0.00000001 g/kg | |
| 53 | Shiga toxin | 2 ng/kg | 0.000000002 g/kg | from dysentery |
| 54 | Tetanospasmin | 2 ng/kg | 0.000000002 g/kg | tetanus toxin |
| 55 | Botulinum toxin | 1 ng/kg | 0.000000001 g/kg | causes botulism and used in Botox |
Note on the graphic: Please note that the majority of these substances have been tested on animals, so it may not be a precise indication of how toxic they are to humans due to physiological differences. Sources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_lethal_dose and ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/ld50.html. Logo: CEUfast Nursing CE.
What an LD50 value means
CCOHS defines the LD50 as the amount of a material, given all at once, that causes the death of half of a group of test animals. It is one way to measure acute toxicity, the short-term poisoning potential of a material [2]. Most tests use rats or mice, and the dose is usually given in milligrams of the chemical per kilogram of the animal’s body weight [2]. The smaller the LD50, the more toxic the chemical [2].
The value depends on the route and the species. For the insecticide dichlorvos, CCOHS gives an oral LD50 of 56 mg/kg in rats and 10 mg/kg in rabbits [2]. The test says nothing about long term exposure [2].
Can animal LD50 values be applied to people
CCOHS says that when results are similar across animal species the immediate toxicity will probably be similar in people, but when they differ, estimating a lethal dose for humans requires approximations and assumptions [2]. Safety factors of 1,000 or 10,000 are usually included when animal values are translated to human exposure limits [2].
Notes on this infographic
- MDMA: the card shows 160 mg/kg but 0.18 g/kg; 160 mg/kg is 0.16 g/kg, the figure Wikipedia gives for MDMA in rats by mouth [3].
- The chart does not say which animal or route each value refers to. Wikipedia lists water, sucrose, ethanol, salt, aspirin and caffeine as oral doses in rats [3].
- Some values differ from Wikipedia’s current table [3]: arsenic is listed there at 763 mg/kg for elemental arsenic (arsenic trioxide 14 mg/kg), fentanyl at 30 µg/kg in monkeys, and ricin at 22 µg/kg only by injection, with 20 to 30 mg/kg by mouth. We have not checked every card.
- The CEUfast post for the graphic is no longer live; the link below is an archived copy [1].
Questions about lethal doses
What is lethal dose 50 (LD50)?
It is the amount of a substance, given all at once, that kills half of a group of test animals, usually rats or mice, expressed per kilogram of body weight [2]. The term is attributed to J. W. Trevan, who developed the test in 1927 [2][3].
How is lethal dose determined?
Groups of animals are given a pure form of the chemical by mouth, on the skin or by injection, and the dose that kills half of them is recorded as, for example, LD50 (oral) [2].
What is the lethal dose of water?
The chart gives 90,000 mg/kg (90 g/kg). Wikipedia lists water at more than 90,000 mg/kg in rats by mouth [3]; it is an animal test figure, not a human one.
Sources
- CEUfast, Lethal Doses of 55 Substances (archived copy, January 2022). The creator’s post for this graphic.
- Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, What is a LD50 and LC50?.
- Wikipedia, Median lethal dose.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
