Theory 07/Toxicology & Poisoning
Poisoning Is an Area, Not an Amount
The claim
Poison severity is set by the area under the concentration-time curve rather than by the ingested amount, so a large ingestion of a rapidly eliminated substance can be milder than a small one that persists.
01The mechanism
Toxicity depends on exposure of the target to the toxin over time. A dose that is absorbed and cleared quickly produces a smaller integral than one that lingers, even if the ingested mass is larger.
That makes half-life as important as dose, which is why activated charcoal and elimination enhancement matter as much as decontamination.
02What this is not
Ingested-dose models
Those use the amount swallowed. This uses the integral, which explains severity inversions.
03Predictions
- P1Severity should track the area under the curve.
- P2Elimination enhancement should reduce severity at equal ingestion.
04Refutation
Severity tracking ingested amount at controlled clearance would remove the integral.