SHEET /m/lactic-acid · PubChem CID 612 · CAS 50-21-5 · REV 2026.07
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Lactic acid from source
C3H6O3 · 90.08 g/mol
2-hydroxypropanoic acid · DL-Lactic acid · 2-hydroxypropionic acid · Milk acid
group of stereoisomers
CategoryFood & flavor
Fig. 1 · 2D structure RDKit
CC(C(=O)O)O
Where you'll find it
Not yet mapped to everyday foods or products.
The dose makes the poison inferred
A reported rat oral LD50 for Lactic acid is 3,730 mg/kg, the dose lethal to half the animals tested. Scaled by body mass alone:
261.1 g
a median lethal dose scaled to 154 lb (261,100 mg)
“The dose makes the poison” is a cross-species estimate shown as neutral science, not a threshold anyone should act on. Real toxicity depends on the person, not body mass alone.
Toxicity & hazards
Toxicity · LD50
3,730 mg/kg · very low toxicity · LD50 rat oral from source
The dose lens above scales this to a body weight.
2 more reported values
- 4,875 mg/kgLD50 · oral · mouse
- 4,500 mg/kgLD50 · other · mouse
DangerCorrosiveIrritantH314, H315, H318from source
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