The mean is a fundamental statistic used to summarize quantitative data. In toxicology, it helps in assessing the central tendency of a dataset that could represent the level of exposure or the response to a particular toxicant. For example, when evaluating the lethal dose 50% (LD50), which is the dose required to kill half of a test population, the mean helps determine the average dose that produces a certain effect, aiding in the classification of a substance's toxicity.
