How to Use neurotoxic in a Sentence

neurotoxic

adjective
  • There are even species whose neurotoxic compounds get through our own blood-brain barrier, a feat that no wasp venom can yet achieve.
    — Christie Wilcox, Scientific American, 1 May 2017
  • Lead is a neurotoxic metal that can erode brain cells after entering the body, health experts say.
    — Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 7 Mar. 2022
  • Lead is a potent neurotoxic metal that can damage the brain and nervous system.
    — Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 9 Jan. 2024
  • This process uses heat and chemical solvents such as hexane, which has been shown to be neurotoxic to humans.
    — Jillian Kubala, Rd, Health, 10 July 2024
  • These neurotoxic compounds are formed as byproducts when reactive oxygen species damage fats in the body.
    — Aaron Priester, The Conversation, 19 Feb. 2025
  • Brown recluse spider venom includes a neurotoxic component, that is known to cause chills, fever or, in some rare cases, death.
    — Danielle Garrand, CBS News, 6 July 2018
  • The researchers also looked at changing levels of the neurotoxic heavy metal mercury in the whales’ bodies.
    — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2021
  • The mutant product that results soon shatters into neurotoxic shards.
    — Natalie Angier, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2017
  • The critter, which lives in underwater caves and looks like an inch-long centipede, sports tiny needle-like front claws that can inject neurotoxic venom.
    — Corryn Wetzel, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Oct. 2020
  • Methylmercury is a neurotoxic compound of mercury and carbon that bioaccumulates in the marine food chain.
    — Gia Mora, Treehugger, 8 Mar. 2023
  • Still, my love of this tree-bark spice could certainly be shaken by my healthy aversion to neurotoxic things, especially with a small child at home gobbling up my baked goods.
    — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 13 Sep. 2024
  • Jewel wasp venom is only one example of neurotoxic venom taken to the extreme.
    — Christie Wilcox, Scientific American, 1 May 2017
  • The neurotoxic venom of an eastern brown can kill a human being within 15 minutes if not treated with antivenin.
    — National Geographic, 3 Jan. 2017
  • Some elapids have hemotoxic properties, and some vipers have neurotoxic properties.
    — CNN, 29 Oct. 2022
  • These compounds can become neurotoxic, posing potential health risks.
    — Allison Futterman, Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Even organic versions of the treat are contaminated by the neurotoxic metals lead and cadmium, a study finds.
    — Meghan Pryce, CNN, 1 Aug. 2024
  • Depending on where a Mojave lives, its venom can be mainly neurotoxic with overtones of hemotoxin, or vice-versa, or a more or less equal mix of the two.
    — David E. Petzal, Field & Stream, 30 June 2020
  • All those air pollutants, those neurotoxic substances have disappeared, today.
    — Alex Park, Houston Chronicle, 2 July 2018
  • Speaking of leaded gas, which is famously neurotoxic, what is the invention in the book that has had overall the most negative impact on society?
    — Emily Matchar, Smithsonian, 16 Aug. 2017
  • That's good news, considering kiddie staples such as macaroni and cheese showed up in the Better Babies list of most neurotoxic foods.
    — CNN, 21 Oct. 2019
  • Other research on essential oils derived from cloves, pine, and cinnamon have found similar neurotoxic results in insects.
    — Philip Kiefer, Popular Science, 16 Mar. 2021
  • All of these flammable, colorless liquids are considered neurotoxic, meaning being exposed to them in large doses can cause headaches, fatigue, and even more severe symptoms like death.
    — Laura Kiniry, Popular Science, 9 Apr. 2026
  • One species, the Emerald jewel wasp, converts its cockroach prey into living zombies by injecting a neurotoxic cocktail into its brain.
    — Adrian Woolfson, WSJ, 31 July 2022
  • Lead is a potent neurotoxic metal that is particularly dangerous to children.
    — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 6 Nov. 2023
  • Making of a zombie Jewel wasps are a beautiful if terrifying example of how neurotoxic venoms can do much more than paralyze.
    — Christie Wilcox, Scientific American, 1 May 2017
  • Sea snake venom is a complex neurotoxic cocktail of enzymes, proteins, and other compounds that not only immobilizes prey, but also aids in the snake's digestion.
    — Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 7 Nov. 2023
  • This serpent, native to East and Southeast Asia, feeds on poisonous toads that contain the neurotoxic compound bufadienolide.
    — Ryley Graham, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025
  • Think of it as a dishwasher in your brain, flushing out waste products, including neurotoxic proteins such as amyloid-beta, abnormal tangles of a protein called tau and alpha-synuclein proteins.
    — Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 31 Jan. 2024
  • Insecticides, which are often neurotoxic, are often of particular concern.
    — Byerik Stokstad, science.org, 5 Sep. 2024
  • Warmer months may heighten dolphins' vulnerability to neurotoxic algal compounds.
    — Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'neurotoxic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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