contaminate

Our water system’s decentralized, fragmented nature, perhaps a bit like our electoral system, is a double-edged sword, inasmuch as its vulnerabilities are atomized—at least a single hacker can’t contaminate all the water in the country.

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

Burning natural gas also causes significant air pollution in the form of nitric oxides, sulfur, mercury and particulates, while hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," can contaminate ground water supplies.

From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026

Within a few short weeks, an ongoing outbreak of Cyclospora, a foodborne parasite that can contaminate raw fruits and vegetables — and lead to several unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms — has fueled a nationwide panic.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

Paiva also hopes to examine whether materials besides methane, including compounds released from spacecraft components such as paint and rubber, could contaminate scientifically important lunar sites.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

It was widely known, Rifkin pointed out, that HeLa was “an extraordinarily virulent and infectious line of cells” that could contaminate other cultures.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Cyclospora is a parasite that contaminates leafy greens, berries and herbs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

“If a worker contaminates lettuce, that lettuce will likely be eaten before it becomes infectious,” Todd said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Water shortages are not new, but many countries, especially in the global south, are experiencing climate change-related intense drought and flooding that contaminates water sources.

From BBC ● May 27, 2024

The other thing is that stress contaminates memory, so you can have two people in the same room telling completely opposite stories.

From Salon ● Feb. 4, 2024

The use of imperfectly sterilized milk, or dirty utensils soon contaminates it; overripening is likely to injure the flavor.

From Outlines of dairy bacteriology A concise manual for the use of students in dairying by Edwin George Hastings

The construction site will be wrapped with underwater silt curtains but Leidich worries the marine lakes will be contaminated by sediment plumes.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

It can be transmitted from animals to humans through contact with contaminated animal products.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

The CDC declared the outbreak over; the FDA, meanwhile, is still trying to determine exactly how the lettuce became contaminated.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

The CDC said the contaminated lettuce linked to the outbreak is no longer available in stores or restaurants, and the products’ best-by dates have passed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

It was also quickly discovered that carbon-14 samples can be easily contaminated with carbon from other sources–a tiny scrap of vegetable matter, for instance, that has been collected with the sample and not noticed.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

In the 1920s, a modest mercury mine grew into a large open-pit operation, contaminating the watershed with the toxic metal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

Prions can be shed through urine and feces for months or even years, contaminating vegetation and soil.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026

It follows concerns that the poisons are killing songbirds, which like to line their nests with dog and cat hair, as well as contaminating rivers and coastal waters and killing aquatic life.

From BBC ● May 3, 2026

The disaster unleashed toxic sludge into the Kafue River, contaminating land and leaving residents without clean water.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

The secret he revealed shook the very foundations of the Pythagorean doctrine, but by considering the irrational an anomaly, the Pythagoreans could keep the irrationals from contaminating their view of the universe.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife