dioxins, definition of

Long-lasting highly toxic hydrocarbons; byproducts of various industrial processes, including paper and pesticide manufacturing and waste incineration. Dioxins are the most potent carcinogens known to science and also may affect human development and reproduction.

• US Announces Agent Orange Clean-Up in Vietnam After 40 Years
  Nearly 40 years after the Vietnam War, the U.S. launched a project to clean up toxic residues of Agent Orange – one of the many herbicides used by the U.S. military during the war was proven to contain dioxin, a chemical linked to cancer, birth...