decontamination

Removing harmful substances

Decontamination is the process of removing or neutralizing dangerous substances—radioactive material, chemical agents, pathogens, or other hazardous contaminants.

The term appears in military, medical, and environmental contexts: The workers went through decontamination before leaving the site.

A decontamination chamber or shower is where the process happens.

equipment

hazmat suit

Sealed garment blocking toxins

goggles · protective gear · shielding · containment · barrier · absorbent · ventilation · HEPA filter · positive pressure · dosimeter

methods

scrubbing

Cleaning by rubbing hard

rinsing · showering · fumigation · neutralization · detoxification · filtration · irradiation · autoclave · chemical treatment · ultraviolet

protocols

quarantine

Isolation preventing disease transmission

precautions · triage · evacuation · staging area · checkpoint · screening · monitoring · clearance · certification · disposal

settings

nuclear plant

Fission-based power facility

disaster zone · battlefield · quarantine zone · cleanroom · water treatment · morgue · isolation ward · triage · hot zone · exclusion zone

hazards

radioactivity

Spontaneous nuclear decay

exposure · pollution · carcinogen · pathogen · virus · bacteria · spore · nerve agent · asbestos · lead

Categories
Opposites
purity process direction

decontaminationcontamination

Introduction of impurities

pollution · adulteration · infection · corruption · poisoning

resultant state

decontaminationtoxicity

Capacity to cause harm

impurity · dirty · unclean · impure · tainted

Family

decontaminating

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Rated G