| / English Dictionary |
POLLUTANT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Waste matter that contaminates the water or air or soil
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("pollutant" is a kind of...):
waste; waste material; waste matter; waste product (any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pollutant"):
DDT; dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (an insecticide that is also toxic to animals and humans; banned in the United States since 1972)
CFC; chlorofluorocarbon (a fluorocarbon with chlorine; formerly used as a refrigerant and as a propellant in aerosol cans)
halon (a compound in which the hydrogen atoms of a hydrocarbon have been replaced by bromine and other halogen atoms; very stable; used in fire extinguishers although it is thought to release bromine that depletes the ozone layer)
nitrogen oxide (any of several oxides of nitrogen formed by the action of nitric acid on oxidizable materials; present in car exhausts)
sulfur dioxide; sulphur dioxide (a colorless toxic gas (SO2) that occurs in the gases from volcanoes; used in many manufacturing processes and present in industrial emissions; causes acid rain)
Derivation:
pollute (make impure)
Context examples:
Nitroaromatic compounds containing two nitrogen groups on a phenyl ring used as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, explosives, and comprise a group of environmental pollutants.
(Dinitrophenyl Compounds, NCI Thesaurus)
For example, asthma pollutants and chemicals in the air or in the home can trigger asthma attacks.
(Environmental Health, NIH: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
Persistent organic pollutants are chemicals once used in agriculture, disease control, manufacturing, and industrial processes.
(Persistent organic pollutants in maternal blood linked to smaller fetal size, National Institutes of Health)
"Action to alleviate the impact of warming oceans is a priority and understanding the role of pollutants in coral disease and mortality gives us more options for solutions."
(Sea fan corals face new threat in warming ocean: copper, National Science Foundation)
Researchers measured all major air pollutants with longitudinal increases in percent emphysema revealed by more than 15,000 CT scans acquired from 2000 to 2018.
(Study finds link between long-term exposure to air pollution and emphysema, National Institutes of Health)
This previously unknown effect of nitrate, a common pollutant, shows how complex ecosystem interactions could result in reducing the carbon-holding ability of salt marshes said Michael Sieracki, program director for Biological Oceanography.
(Salt marshes' capacity to store carbon may be threatened by nitrogen pollution, National Science Foundation)
They found that it passively removes pollutants from the air when coated on the surface of materials.
(Smog-eating graphene composite reduces atmospheric pollution, University of Cambridge)
The world’s oceans are already being overfished, and assailed by a rising tide of plastic waste, as well as other pollutants.
(Oceans running out of oxygen at unprecedented rate, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Urban parks help improve the air quality, filtering out toxic pollutants that kill scores of people every year.
(People Living Near Parks in Cities Less Likely to Face Early Death, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
Involved in many detoxifying processes, sulphur provided by methionine protects cells from pollutants, slows cell aging, and is essential for absorption and bio-availability of selenium and zinc.
(Methionine, NCI Thesaurus)
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