Which term describes the capability of a substance to produce injury or illness, or the capacity of a chemical to harm or injure a living organism?

• A. Toxic
• B. Hazard
• C. Toxicity
• D. Poison

Answer: (C)

Toxicity is the property that describes how harmful a substance can be to a living organism. It captures the capacity to cause injury or illness, often expressed in values like LD50 or through dose–response relationships across different exposure scenarios. The other terms don’t fit as neatly: toxic is an adjective describing the harmful quality, not the noun that denotes the inherent capacity; hazard refers to the potential for harm under certain conditions of use (it’s broader and includes exposure context); poison is a common term for something that can cause harm, but it’s not the technical descriptor for a substance’s inherent harm potential. In short, toxicity is the intrinsic capability to cause harm.