dioxin

American  

[dahy-ok-sin] / daɪˈɒk sɪn /

noun

Chemistry.

1. 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.

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dioxin British  

/ daɪˈɒksɪn /

noun

1. 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

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dioxin Scientific  

/ dī-ŏk′sĭn /

1. 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.

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dioxin Cultural  

1. 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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Etymology

Origin of dioxin

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

Example Sentences

Ukrainian politician Viktor Yushchenko, campaigning against a Russian-backed candidate for the presidency, was disfigured by dioxin in 2004.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

"Large quantities of dioxin and furan have been added to the atmosphere and these are carcinogens. And then we have calculated it may kill about 70 people in our country," says Prof Guneeardena.

From BBC • Jul. 27, 2025

But starting in the mid-2000s under President George W. Bush, the U.S. began earmarking federal dollars for dioxin remediation in Vietnam to clean up the contamination sites and the two nations’ troubled relationship.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2025

The EPA has found that forest fires and household trash burning in backyard burn barrels - how Skousen now describes the scent of Lahaina - are both major sources of dioxin emissions.

From Washington Times • Nov. 24, 2023

The dioxin crisis - beginning in June 1999 with the discovery of a cancer-causing substance in animal feed - constituted a serious blow to the food-processing industry, both domestically and internationally.

From The 2000 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency