Lethality as a Function of Dose and LD50/60 - Illustration
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Lethality as a Function of Dose and LD50/60

Source: Treatment of Nuclear and Radiological Casualties, (PDF - 2 MB) DoD:Army FM 4-02.282, Navy NTRP 4-02.21, Air force AFMAN 44-161(1), Marine Corps MCRP 4-11.1B, See Figure 3-1.


  • The X-axis is whole body dose in cGy.
  • The Y-axis is % lethality at that dose in 60 days.
  • LD50/60: the dose which will kill 50% of the exposed population within 60 days.
  • LD50/60 in this curve is about 450 cGy as measured in free air, without significant medical intervention.
  • With timely, aggressive, appropriate, continuing medical support, the curve will be shifted to the right, and the LD50/60 can be significantly higher than what is shown on this curve.