CONTAMINANT

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does contaminant mean? 

• CONTAMINANT (noun)
  The noun CONTAMINANT has 1 sense:

1. a substance that contaminates

  Familiarity information: CONTAMINANT used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CONTAMINANT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A substance that contaminates

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

contaminant; contamination

Hypernyms ("contaminant" is a kind of...):

material; stuff (the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object)

Derivation:

contaminate (make impure)

 Context examples 

The reports include where your water came from and what contaminants are in it.

(Drinking Water, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Research areas of special interest include genetic predisposition, lifestyle factors, environmental contaminants, occupational exposures, medications, radiation and infectious agents, as well as statistics and methods development.

(Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI Thesaurus)

Diazoaminobenzene is used as a chemical intermediate, complexing agent and polymer additive and is a contaminant in several dyes used in drugs, cosmetics and foods.

(Diazoaminobenzene, NCI Thesaurus)

B. licheniformis is found in soil, and is a food contaminant which pathogenic to both humans and animals.

(Bacillus licheniformis, NCI Thesaurus)

A substance that can cause cancer in animals and/or humans and is found in the environment either as a contaminant or as a naturally occurring substance.

(Environmental Carcinogen, NCI Thesaurus)

A technique where a sample is heated and degassed to remove contaminants, followed by exposure to doses of an inert gas.

(Gas Sorption, NCI Thesaurus)

Used for projects involving any aspect of diet or dietary components or contaminants; or food production, packaging, storage, or preparation in relation to health effects, whether positive or negative.

(Nutrition, Other, NCI Thesaurus)

M. orale is commensal in the human oropharynx and is usually non-pathogenic, but can cause infections in immunosuppressed patients and is a common contaminant found in cultured cells.

(Mycoplasma orale, NCI Thesaurus)

Inadequate sterilization of a device possibly resulting in the presence of microorganisms or other contaminants on the device.

(Inappropriate or Insufficient Device Sterilization Evaluation Result, Food and Drug Administration)

It is found as a contaminant in peanuts, cottonseed meal, corn, and other grains.

(Aflatoxin B1, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)