chlordecone

American

[klawr-di-kohn, klohr-] / ˈklɔr dɪˌkoʊn, ˈkloʊr- /

noun

a highly toxic pesticide, C 10 H 10 O, causing nerve damage in humans, that is believed to contaminate waterways: no longer widely used.

Etymology

Origin of chlordecone

First recorded in 1970–75; chlor- ² + dec- + (ket)one

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

chlordecone

A 1979 report from the World Health Organisation found that chlordecone was "carcinogenic in mice and rats" and it was reasonable to regard it as a "carcinogenic risk to humans".

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026

The French government estimates that more than 90% of adults were exposed to chlordecone on both islands, whose combined populations total some 750,000 inhabitants.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2023

Meanwhile, officials continue testing the islanders for free to detect possible traces of chlordecone in their blood.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2023

Other French research links chlordecone exposure to preterm births.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2023

But they also asserted that even in the 1990s, scientists had not established links between chlordecone and illnesses in people.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 6, 2023

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023