The process of removing dangerous substances such as noxious chemicals, harmful bacteria, or radioactive material from something.
From Latin prefix 'de-' (removal) plus 'contaminare' meaning 'to pollute', from 'con-' (together) and 'taminare' (to touch). The modern sense developed with 20th-century awareness of chemical, biological, and nuclear hazards requiring specialized removal procedures.
Decontamination entered everyday vocabulary through Cold War fears and environmental disasters, transforming from a specialized military term to something parents worry about after their children play in questionable puddles. The word's clinical precision masks the often desperate human situations that require it.
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