What does the phrase 'the dose makes the poison' mean?

What does the phrase 'the dose makes the poison' mean?

• A. All substances are non-toxic regardless of dose.
• B. Any substance can be toxic depending on amount and exposure duration.
• C. Toxicity is constant regardless of dose.
• D. Only certain chemicals exhibit toxicity.

Answer: (B)

Dose-response is the idea that how toxic something is depends on how much you are exposed to and for how long. Any substance can be toxic if the dose is large enough or exposure lasts long enough, even something essential or common at small amounts. Toxicity isn’t fixed; small doses can be harmless while larger doses can cause harm, and factors like how you’re exposed, how your body processes the substance, and individual susceptibility also matter. The other statements assume toxicity is fixed or universal, which the phrase rejects.

Dose-response is the idea that how toxic something is depends on how much you are exposed to and for how long. Any substance can be toxic if the dose is large enough or exposure lasts long enough, even something essential or common at small amounts. Toxicity isn’t fixed; small doses can be harmless while larger doses can cause harm, and factors like how you’re exposed, how your body processes the substance, and individual susceptibility also matter. The other statements assume toxicity is fixed or universal, which the phrase rejects.