pollutant

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Coal is a top contributor to planet-warming greenhouse gases, and also a powerful air pollutant that is harmful for human health.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Dissenting in Massachusetts, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that from the court’s reasoning, “it follows that everything airborne, from Frisbees to flatulence, qualifies as an ‘air pollutant.’

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

US, China and the European Union each apply their own pollutant thresholds.

From BBC • Nov. 15, 2025

Environmental Protection Agency is through the Clean Air Act, which does regulate sulfur dioxide as a pollutant and as a contributor to acid rain.

From Salon • Dec. 12, 2024

It is a bit of a chemical oddity in that at ground level it is a pollutant, while way up in the stratosphere it is beneficial, since it soaks up dangerous ultraviolet radiation.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson