recontaminated
Made impure twice
Recontaminated means contaminated again after having been cleaned or purified.
The term appears in contexts involving food safety, medical sterilization, and environmental cleanup, where something that was successfully decontaminated has become polluted or infected a second time: The surgical instruments were recontaminated when a technician handled them without gloves.
Subsequent infection, same disease
- pathogenDisease-causing microorganism
- microbeMicroscopic living organism
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
- virusMicroscopic infectious agent
germs · transmission · exposure · outbreak · contagion · sepsis · hospital-acquired · vector
Return to former illness
- backslideRevert to bad habits
- reversalComplete change of direction
- regressionReturn to former state
- deteriorationProcess of declining quality
recurrence · recrudescence · reemergence · undoing · compromised · setback · back to square one
Capable of causing harm
- chemical spillAccidental release of toxins
- radioactiveEmitting nuclear decay particles
- oil slickFloating layer of crude
- heavy metalsDense metallic environmental contaminants
groundwater pollution · effluent · sewage · runoff · emissions · waste · dumping · leakage
Eliminating pathogens from surfaces
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
- asepsisAbsence of harmful microorganisms
- food handlingProcessing edibles safely
reinfection
Subsequent infection, same disease
- pathogenDisease-causing microorganism
- microbeMicroscopic living organism
- bacteriaNucleus-free single-celled organisms
virus · germs · transmission · exposure · outbreak · contagion · sepsis · hospital-acquired · vector · bloodborne
relapse
Return to former illness
- backslideRevert to bad habits
- reversalComplete change of direction
- regressionReturn to former state
deterioration · recurrence · recrudescence · reemergence · undoing · compromised · setback · back to square one
toxic
Capable of causing harm
- chemical spillAccidental release of toxins
- radioactiveEmitting nuclear decay particles
- oil slickFloating layer of crude
heavy metals · groundwater pollution · effluent · sewage · runoff · emissions · waste · dumping · leakage · fallout
disinfection
Eliminating pathogens from surfaces
- purificationRemoval of contaminants
- asepsisAbsence of harmful microorganisms
- food handlingProcessing edibles safely
recontaminatedpurified
Cleared of unwanted substances
decontaminated · pristine · sterilized · clean · uncontaminated
recontaminateddecontaminated
Removed harmful substances from
purified · sterilized · sanitized · remediated · scrubbed