ethylene oxide

noun

: a colorless flammable toxic compound C₂H₄O used especially in synthesis (as of ethylene glycol) and in sterilization and fumigation

Examples of ethylene oxide in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Szabo has lobbied on behalf of the sterilization industry on issues related to its use of the toxic chemical ethylene oxide. —Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2025

In 2024, for example, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied an industry petition to review an EPA standard involving ethylene oxide, a pollutant emitted by some chemical and industrial facilities that has been associated with several types of cancer. —H. Christopher Frey, The Conversation, 7 Apr. 2025

Chemical manufacturers are urging Trump to eliminate ethylene oxide regulations adopted by Biden and the first national limits on certain forever chemicals in drinking water. —Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025

The state is the nation’s top ethylene oxide polluter and home to 26 facilities that emit ethylene oxide, according to ProPublica’s 2021 analysis of EPA data from 2014 through 2018. —Lisa Song, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ethylene oxide

• aminoglycoside
• chlordiazepoxide
• dimethylformamide
• oligosaccharide
• paraformaldehyde
• polynucleotide
• ribonucleotide
• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride

Medical Definition

ethylene oxide

noun

: a colorless flammable toxic gaseous or liquid compound C₂H₄O used especially in synthesis (as of ethylene glycol) and in fumigation and sterilization (as of medical instruments)