ABSTRACT
The dose of chemical toxicant to which a poisoned victim is exposed over time is a function of the specic toxicant, its concentration, route of exposure (e.g., inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption), duration of exposure, and the physiological state of the victim (Eaton and Gilbert 2013). Physiological state can include many factors such as age, sex, genetic makeup, health, and nutritional status. Outstanding among physiological attributes is the victim’s species. For inhalation exposure within a species, the important predictor variables are the concentration of the toxicant and exposure duration (Haber 1924; Prentiss 1937). There are two common measures for inhalation exposure to a vapor/gas toxicant: the product of concentration and time and the toxic load.
