What does contamination mean?

What does contamination mean?

1 : to soil, stain, or infect by contact or association The wound was contaminated by bacteria. 2 : to make unfit for use by adding something harmful or unpleasant The water is contaminated with chemicals. contaminate.

What is contaminant short answer?

Contaminants are defined as “substances (i.e. chemical elements and compounds) or groups of substances that are toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate, and other substances or groups of substances which give rise to an equivalent level of concern”.

What is contamination and examples?

The presence of unwanted materials such as dust and particles during the manufacturing and transportation time is called contamination. The term contaminants includes any unwanted matter that is found in the product. Examples: fiber material, particles, chips from your pill press tooling. Chemical contamination.

What is contamination in biology?

Definition. The presence in the environment of living organisms or agents derived by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and mammal and bird antigens that can cause many health effects.

What causes contamination?

The reasons for contamination can include: poor waste management. poor construction, industrial or agricultural practices. illegal dumping or unsafe storage of harmful products.

Why is food contamination bad?

These bacteria can be transmitted through contaminated food and drinking water, as well as via poor hygiene (in child care centers, for example). The organisms invade the lining of the intestine, and can lead to symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, and cramps.

What is the best example of physical contamination?

Examples of Physical Contamination Common examples of physical contaminants include hair, bandages, fingernails, jewelry, broken glass, metal, paint flakes, bone, the body parts of pests, or pest droppings.

What are 4 physical contaminants?

Common examples of physical contaminants in food businesses include:

  • hair.
  • fingernails.
  • bandages.
  • jewellery.
  • broken glass, staples.
  • plastic wrap/packaging.
  • dirt from unwashed fruit and vegetables.
  • pests/pest droppings/rodent hair.

What is the definition of contamination in science?

Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that soils, corrupts, infects, makes unfit, or makes inferior a material, physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc.

Which is an example of contamination by an infectious agent?

The presence of an infectious agent on a body surface or on or in clothes, bedding, toys, surgical instruments or dressings, or other inanimate articles or substances including water, milk, and food, or that infectious agent itself.

When does contamination occur in a recycling bin?

Recycling contamination occurs when materials are sorted into the wrong recycling bin (placing a glass bottle into a mixed paper recycling bin for example), or when materials are not properly cleaned, such as when food residue remains on a plastic yogurt container.

Which is the best definition of radioactive contamination?

See Radioactive contamination. 1. The presence of an infectious agent on a body surface or on or in clothes, bedding, toys, surgical instruments or dressings, or other inanimate articles or substances including water, milk, and food, or that infectious agent itself. 2.

What is considered a contamination area?

In general, a contaminated area is one where the risk of exposure to a hazardous agent (chemical, biological) is elevated: so this includes most laboratory work areas. The idea is that contamination should not be transferred to clean areas.

What are examples of contaminants?

The most common types of contaminant include: Physical contamination. Examples: fiber material, particles, chips from your pill press tooling. Chemical contamination. Examples: vapor, gasses, moisture, molecules. Biological contamination. Examples: fungus, bacteria, virus.

What is the medical definition of contamination?

Medical Definition of contaminate. 1 : to soil, stain, or infect by contact or association bacteria contaminated the wound. 2 : to make unfit for use by the introduction of unwholesome or undesirable elements water contaminated by sewage.

What are sources of contamination to drinking water?

Water contamination comes from three primary sources: Rainwater: It is usually safe to drink, but rainwater has become increasingly contaminated due to air pollution in various areas of the world. Surface water: Storm water runoff can pollute rivers, streams and lakes, and much of the contamination comes from agriculture and industry.