Recontamination

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of introducing harmful substances into a previously cleaned environment occurs again through various means
2. The process by which contaminated elements are once more introduced into an area that was once free of pollutants is known as
3. The process by which an area or object that was cleaned becomes polluted again through the entry of harmful substances

Etymology: "Recontamination" is a plain formation: the prefix "re-", meaning "again", attached to "contamination". "Contamination" comes from Latin "contaminare", to defile or pollute by touching or mixing, so the new word describes the act of becoming tainted a second time, after something has already been cleaned. The pattern is a practical one. English has long used "re-" with technical nouns to name a repeated event, as with "reinfection" or "recontamination" in laboratory and hygiene contexts, where a sterile space or surface must be kept clean after the first decontamination. The word carries the same logic as "contamination" itself, with the added idea that the cleanliness was once achieved and then lost.

Synonyms: pollution, contamination

Antonyms: purification