recontaminate
Pollute once more
To recontaminate is to contaminate again after decontamination or cleaning.
The term appears in contexts where maintaining sterility or purity matters: The surgical instruments were recontaminated when a technician touched them with ungloved hands.
Food safety, laboratory work, and environmental cleanup all involve concern about recontamination.
Disease-causing microorganism
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- virusMicroscopic infectious agent
- infectionPathogen invasion causing illness
- reinfectionSubsequent infection, same disease
biohazard · contagion · microbes · spores · mold · exposure · sterile · quarantine
Bring back into use
- reexposureSubsequent contact with something
- reinfestationPests returning after elimination
- resurgenceReturn after dormancy
- recurrenceReturn of something previous
relapse · reversion · backslide · setback · compromise · breach · failure · spread
Environmental harm from waste
- toxinsHarmful biological substances
- effluentDischarged liquid waste
- sewageLiquid refuse in drains
- runoffExcess water drainage
leachate · wastewater · discharge · emissions · pesticides · heavy metals · dioxins · particulates
pathogen
Disease-causing microorganism
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- virusMicroscopic infectious agent
- infectionPathogen invasion causing illness
reinfection · biohazard · contagion · microbes · spores · mold · exposure · sterile · quarantine · vector
reintroduce
Bring back into use
- reexposureSubsequent contact with something
- reinfestationPests returning after elimination
- resurgenceReturn after dormancy
recurrence · relapse · reversion · backslide · setback · compromise · breach · failure · spread · secondary
pollution
Environmental harm from waste
runoff · leachate · wastewater · discharge · emissions · pesticides · heavy metals · dioxins · particulates · groundwater
radiation
Energy propagation through space
decay · half-life · cesium · uranium · plutonium · radon · dosimeter · Chernobyl · Fukushima · reactor