On 28 Aug 2003 at 7:57, Mats Andersson wrote:

> Which prompts my question: what is LD50?

LD50 is a measurement of toxicity for a particular toxin. It is the
lethal dose for 50% of the sample.  Of course this varies according
to the factors of the exposure, for example whether an organism
makes surface (skin or exoskeletan) contact with a toxin, or
whether one ingests it.  So LD50 is a rather vague measurement.

LD50 of bee stings for humans would also vary with past exposure,
body weight, locale of the sting, condition of the immune system,
and many other factors.

On one (very bad day) I sustained around 400 stings. My system
seems to be able to handle quite a few stings with little problem,
but this was a bit much, and I was quite sick. The symtoms were
flu-like, with headache, aching joints and weakness. But it only
lasted a couple hours. I was aided (I think) by two extra-strength
acetaminophens.

On another occasion I was stung on the eyeball. There was little
pain at first, only an eye irritant, and I had a difficult time removing
the stinger from a weeping eye, with only a truck mirror and
flashlight. It quickly developed into a throbbing headache, again
aided (I think) by acetaminophen.

Probably the worst single sting I ever had was by an unknown
assailant (probably a hornet or bumblebee) on the temple, while I
was mowing hay. I blacked out as a result.

Dave Green   SC  USA
The Pollination Home Page:  http://pollinator.com

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/BEE-L for rules, FAQ and  other info ---
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::