contaminant

[kuhn-tam-uh-nuhnt]

noun

1. something that contaminates.

Word History and Origins

Origin of contaminant¹

1920–25; < Latin contāminant- (stem of contāmināns ), present participle of contāmināre. See contaminate, -ant

Example Sentences

The heavy metal is 500 times more carcinogenic than diesel exhaust and poses the second-highest cancer risk of all toxic air contaminants tracked by the state, according to the California Air Resources Board.

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Last year, FAA investigators formally acknowledged the toxicity of bleed air contaminants in an internal report into two Southwest Airlines flights that collided with large birds in 2023.

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“There’s a way to protect us from the contaminants … but with the raids, we have seen that there’s not much that we can actually do.”

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Turning wood waste into gas also generates a thick, black tar composed of volatile organic compounds — which are also common contaminants following wildfires.

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“People should be wary of any unregulated treatments, as the purity dosage and presence of contaminants are often unknown,” Bickart said.

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Related Words

• contamination 
• impurity 
• poison 
• pollutant 
• toxin