Detection limit
FOR A GIVEN ANALYTICAL PROCEDURE, CONCENTRATION OR QUANTITY DERIVED FROM THE SMALLEST MEASURE THAT CAN BE DETECTED WITH REASONABLE CERTAINTY
Limit of detection; Limit of Detection; Detection Limits; Limit of quantification; LOQ; Limit of quantitation
The limit of detection (LOD or LoD) is the lowest signal, or the lowest corresponding quantity to be determined (or extracted) from the signal, that can be observed with a sufficient degree of confidence or statistical significance. However, the exact threshold (level of decision) used to decide when a signal significantly emerges above the continuously fluctuating background noise remains arbitrary and is a matter of policy and often of debate among scientists, statisticians and regulators depending on the stakes in different fields.