Pollutants are substances that pollute the environment, especially gases from vehicles and poisonous chemicals produced as waste by industrial processes.
A steady stream of California traffic clogs the air with pollutants.
pollutant in British English
(pəˈluːtənt)
noun
a substance that pollutes, esp a chemical or similar substance that is produced as a waste product of an industrial process
pollutant in American English
(pəˈlutənt)
noun
something that pollutes; esp., a harmful chemical or waste material discharged into the water or atmosphere
Word origin
< pollute + -ant
pollutant in Automotive Engineering
(pəlutənt)
Word forms: (regular plural) pollutants
noun
(Automotive engineering: Fuels, oils, emissions, and other fluids)
Pollutants are substances that pollute the environment, especially gases from vehicles.
Among pollutants from vehicles, lead from gasoline engines has attracted most attention.
Children in strollers are more vulnerable than adults to attack from airborne pollutants such as exhaust fumes.
Buses emit between 20 and 100 times fewer pollutants per person than motorcycles and cars.
Word builder-antThe suffix -ant is used in words for substances that have a particular effect.
pollutant in Chemical Engineering
(pəlutənt)
Word forms: (regular plural) pollutants
noun
(Chemical Engineering: Chemical waste management)
A pollutant is a chemical or biological substance which harms water, air, or land quality.
Burning also releases dioxins, which are persistent environmental pollutants.
Many VOC chemicals are hazardous air pollutants.
A pollutant is a chemical or biological substance which harms water, air, or land quality.
COBUILD Collocations
pollutant
air pollutant
Examples of 'pollutant' in a sentence
pollutant
Birds and fish can be harmed by accidentally consuming the cotton bud stems and the plastic can also act as a sponge for chemical pollutants.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Birds and fish can be harmed by accidentally consuming the cotton bud stems and theplastic can also act as a sponge for chemical pollutants.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Yet there are unavoidable pollutants in the air we breathe.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We must try to make our homes and workplaces free of environmental pollutants.
Ridgway, Roy Caring for your Unborn Child (1990)
Instead they have now found they bought cars that emit more harmful pollutants.
The Sun (2014)
What are the six criteria air pollutants?
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
The study says that this may be due to exposure to environmental pollutants and chemicals.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Some researchers also feel that acidic air pollutants can contribute to respiratory problems in humans.
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
The copying machine was chosen because it emits the least amount of environmental pollutants.
Randolph, Theron G. & Moss, Ralph W. (contributor) An Alternative Approach to Allergies (1990)
Now there is a complex mix of pollutants in the air.
The Sun (2016)
Name the six major indoor air pollutants.
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
List the six criteria pollutants of air.
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
In what forms can air pollutants be found?
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
Exposure is to criteria air pollutants in ambient air.
McKenzie, James F. & Pinger, Robert R. An Introduction to Community Health (1995)
It also absorbs potentially harmful pollutants in the air and provides food and shelter for birds and insects.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They also help to bulk out stools and increase the speed of disposal of waste and pollutants from the body.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Owners of cars containing defeat devices have been benefiting from lower fuel consumption but emitting air pollutants far in excess of the legal limit.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The fact that such devices emit pollutants is acknowledged by the industry which says it is trying to make its appliances cleaner and more efficient.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
As worrying as all this may sound, there are steps we can take to protect ourselves from hidden environmental pollutants.
Martlew, Gillian & Silver, Shelley Stay Well This Winter (1989)
Common ailments can frequently be the result of marginal nutritional deficiencies caused by factors such as eating the wrong foods or exposure to environmental pollutants and stress.
Martlew, Gillian & Silver, Shelley (ed) The Medicine Chest - your family's guide to prescription drugs (1988)
Once on the road, they produce pollutants at up to 40 times the legal standard.
The Sun (2015)
The rivers that drain the north European plain are heavy with dangerous metals, sewage and industrial pollutants.
Redwood, John The Global Marketplace (1993)
It some motorists have bought vehicles whose environmental pollutants are higher than claimed, they have been mis-sold.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It encourages the body's natural processes for removing pollutants and waste, and gives you a sense of wellbeing.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Free radicals are the unstable, highly reactive and potentially harmful molecules formed in the body by exposure to sunlight, cigarette smoke and environmental pollutants.
Colette Harris, With Theresa Cheung PCOS DIET BOOK: How you can use the nutritional approach to deal with polycysticovary syndrome (2002)
A lack of open windows or air vents causes an unseen build-up of pollutants and chemicals from furniture, flooring and plastics.
The Sun (2016)
In other languages
pollutant
British English: pollutant NOUN
Pollutants are substances that pollute the environment, especially gases from vehicles and poisonous chemicals produced as waste by industrial processes.
A steady stream of traffic clogs the air with pollutants.