Meaning
Contamination means the presence of something harmful, dirty, or unwanted in a place, substance, or material. It often refers to pollution or infection that makes something impure or unsafe.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: noun
- Countable/Uncountable: usually uncountable
- Verb form: contaminate (verb)
- Used in contexts such as environmental pollution, food safety, and disease control.
Typical structure:
- contamination of + [noun] e.g., contamination of water / soil / food
- prevent contamination
- be at risk of contamination
Common Phrases
- water contamination
- air contamination
- food contamination
- radioactive contamination
- bacterial contamination
- prevent contamination
- contamination control
Collocations
- Verb + contamination: cause, prevent, avoid, detect, reduce
- Adjective + contamination: bacterial, chemical, radioactive, cross
- Noun + of: contamination of soil, contamination of food, contamination of blood
Examples
- The factory was shut down due to severe water contamination.
- Scientists are studying the contamination of soil near the old mine.
- Proper handling of food helps prevent bacterial contamination.
- Air contamination from vehicles is a serious environmental issue.
- The lab follows strict procedures to avoid cross-contamination.
- Radioactive contamination can remain dangerous for decades.
- The contamination of the river affected thousands of residents.
- Inspectors found no signs of contamination in the product samples.
- Wearing gloves reduces the risk of contamination in hospitals.
- Contamination control is essential in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Synonyms or Related
- pollution
- impurity
- taint
- infection
- adulteration
Antonym
- purification
- cleanliness
- sanitation