nitrogen dioxide

noun

|Updated on: 2 Aug 2018

Definition of nitrogen dioxide

: a toxic reddish brown gas NO₂ that is a strong oxidizing agent, is produced by combustion (as of fossil fuels), and is an atmospheric pollutant (as in smog)

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Recent Examples of nitrogen dioxide from the Web

Air in some 70 cities and towns in Germany fails to meet the E.U.’s nitrogen dioxide standards.

— griff witte, Washington Post, "Germans love their cars. They also love the environment. A diesel ban is forcing them to choose.," 18 Apr. 2018
The pods are climatically controlled and contain various levels of ozone, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide.

— ceylan yeginsu, New York Times, "How’s the Air in London? ‘We Should Be Worried’," 22 Apr. 2018
Another study financed by the group subjected 25 volunteers to low doses of nitrogen dioxide.

— jack ewing, New York Times, "Volkswagen Suspends Top Lobbyist Amid Inquiry Into Diesel Tests on Monkeys," 30 Jan. 2018
Pollution from nitrogen dioxide — the lung-irritating gas that diesel vehicles emit in abundance — is above the European Union’s legal levels in about 70 German cities and towns.

— Washington Post, "German court opens the way for bans of diesel vehicles, roiling a nation of car obsessives," 27 Feb. 2018
Diesel engines are the main emitters of nitrogen dioxide, which causes respiratory problems and has been linked to premature deaths.

— karin matussek, Bloomberg.com, "German Court Puts Millions of Diesel Cars at Risk of Bans," 27 Feb. 2018
Diesel engines are the main emitters of nitrogen dioxide, which causes respiratory problems and has been linked to premature deaths.

— karin matussek, Bloomberg.com, "German Court Puts Millions of Diesel Cars at Risk of Bans," 27 Feb. 2018
Diesel engines are the main emitters of nitrogen dioxide, which causes respiratory problems and has been linked to premature deaths.

— karin matussek, Bloomberg.com, "German Court Puts Millions of Diesel Cars at Risk of Bans," 27 Feb. 2018
Diesel engines emit small particles and nitrogen dioxide that have been linked to cancer and more than 12,000 of premature deaths in Germany, experts say.

— katrin bennhold, New York Times, "In Germany’s Car Capital, the Unthinkable: The Right to Ban Cars," 27 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nitrogen dioxide.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.