Definition

Contamination is the act or process of contaminating or the state of being contaminated.

Interpretation of the term “contamination” depends on its scope. In chemistry, the term “contamination” refers to the mixing of components, contamination of samples, solutions, etc., distorting the results of an analysis. In geology, contamination is the process of changes to the compositions of igneous rocks under the influence of assimilation (capture and processing) of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks that differ from the parental magma composition. Contamination is possible if the temperature of the magma is sufficient for remelting captured fragments (xenoliths) of host rocks.

Radioactive contamination is the deposition of radioactive substances on surfaces, or within solids, liquids, or gases (including the human body), where their presence is unintended or undesirable, or the processes giving rise to their presence in such places.

In environmental geochemistry, contamination is the presence of a substance where it should not exist or at concentrations above local background levels .

There is a difference between the terms contamination and pollution. Pollution is contamination that results in or can result in adverse biological effects to resident communities. All pollutants are contaminants, but not all contaminants are pollutants. Contamination could be any quantity of a contaminant but pollution means that a quantity of pollutant has reached a level that is hazardous to health or ecosystems.

Cross-References