Ross Geddes (personal communication, 28 November 2004) wonders if the word pollutions isn’t an error here for polluters or pollutants. If there is any error here, it was in 𝓞 since both 𝓟 and the 1830 edition read identically as pollutions. The Oxford English Dictionary gives no examples where pollutions refers to people per se. The word polluters is more possible as an emendation since the word pollutant is relatively recent in English (its first citation in the OED dates from 1892 while the first citation for polluter dates from 1550). In the Book of Mormon, the word pollutions occurs earlier in this chapter and in that case appears to refer to evil acts (it is clear from the context that pollutions does not refer to environmental pollution):
Perhaps the occurrence of pollutions in Mormon 8:38 is a mistake influenced by the earlier occurrence of pollutions in verse 31. Clearly, pollutions in verse 38 refers to the people that have polluted the church (as is stated later in the verse: “why have ye polluted the holy church of God”). On the other hand, the word polluter does not appear in the Book of Mormon (or in the King James Bible). In fact, both texts have instances of the verb pollute and the noun pollution, but only those. It may simply be that the Book of Mormon text considers one who pollutes as a kind of pollution or as one who has been polluted by evil acts. The critical text will retain the difficult reading here in Mormon 8:38, “O ye pollutions”.
Summary: Maintain in Mormon 8:38 the noun pollutions, the apparent reading in 𝓞; here the word means ‘polluters’ or ‘those polluted’; earlier in verse 31 pollutions takes a more normal meaning when it refers to moral pollutions.