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Dioxin

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Cancer

  • 83 Accesses

Synonyms

2,3,7,8-TCDD; 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo- p-dioxin; TCDD

Definition

Dioxin is an unwanted by-product of a number of chemical and industrial processes. It was first observed as a contaminant formed in the synthesis of trichlorophenols used for the production of certain herbicides. Later it was recognized that small amounts of dioxin (as well as other dioxins) can be produced during different types of combustion processes including the burning of chlorine-containing materials such as chemical and hospital wastes and sewage sludge. Dioxin may also be formed during manufacturing processes utilizing chlorine. These include the bleaching of pulp and paper and chlorine-dependent regeneration of metal catalysts. Dioxin and numerous dioxin-like chemicals are ubiquitously present in trace amounts in the environment (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1
figure 1

Chemical structure of dioxin

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See Also

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Rochester Medical Center, Rocheser, NY, USA

    Thomas A. Gasiewicz & Ellen C. Henry

Authors
  1. Thomas A. Gasiewicz
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  2. Ellen C. Henry
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Correspondence to Thomas A. Gasiewicz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Abt. Tumorgenetik, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg, Germany

    Manfred Schwab

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Gasiewicz, T.A., Henry, E.C. (2015). Dioxin. In: Schwab, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Cancer. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_1633-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27841-9_1633-3

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27841-9

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