DIOXIN Definition & Meaning

dioxin

[ dahy-ok-sin ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

Chemistry.

a general name for a family of chlorinated hydrocarbons, C 12 H 4 Cl 4 O 2 , typically used to refer to one isomer, TCDD, a by-product of pesticide manufacture: a toxic compound that is carcinogenic and teratogenic in certain animals.

dioxin

/ �岹ɪˈɒ��ɪ�� /

noun

any of a number of mostly poisonous chemical by-products of the manufacture of certain herbicides and bactericides, esp the extremely toxic 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin

dioxin

/ ��ī-ŏ��′��ĭ�� /

Any of several toxic hydrocarbons that occur as impurities in petroleum-derived herbicides, disinfectants, and other products. Dioxins are composed of two benzene rings connected by two oxygen atoms, and the most familiar kind, called TCDD, has two chlorine atoms attached to each benzene ring. TCDD was once thought to cause cancer and birth defects, but subsequent research showed it to have only mild toxic effects except at very high exposure levels.

dioxin

A group of pollutants created as by-products in many industrial processes. Dioxins accumulate in human tissue and affect human metabolism . They are carcinogens. Eliminating dioxins is an important goal of environmental policy.

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of dioxin¹

First recorded in 1965–70; di- ¹ + ox- + -in ²

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Every president since George W. Bush — including Trump — has made good on the American promise to repair relations with Vietnam by cleaning up Agent Orange and helping those sick or disabled from dioxin poisoning.

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She argues that incineration increases residual slag and releases harmful toxins like mercury and dioxins.

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In addition, he said, 608 degrees — the reaction temperature cited — is the temperature “where dioxins like to form. So, that could be a challenge.”

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However, because they’re near the bottom of the food chain, shrimp don’t generally tend to accumulate the environmental toxins, like mercury or dioxins, found in big predators such as tuna or swordfish.

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At the end of the plastic life cycle, incinerators and landfills can release PFAS, dioxins, PCBs, and other endocrine disruptors as air or soil pollution — some of which may contaminate nearby food supplies.

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