Skip to content

Schadstoff

pollutant

noun SHAHT-shtof Rare
Animals & Nature Environment

Also means

harmful substance

Usage Note

Schadstoff is masculine (der Schadstoff). Any substance harmful to the environment or human health; Schadstoffbelastung (pollutant load) and Schadstoffemissionen (pollutant emissions) are standard terms in environmental reporting and German law. Schadstoffarm (low-emission) appears on consumer labels.

Examples

"Der Boden war mit Schadstoffen aus der alten Fabrik belastet."

Natural Translation

The soil was contaminated with pollutants from the old factory.

Literal Translation

The soil was with pollutants from the old factory burdened.

Free starter pack

Building your German vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common German words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore German by topic