Secondary contamination often involves which scenario?

• A. A contaminated person or object contaminating someone else
• B. Primary contamination
• C. A substance dissolving in water
• D. A substance vaporizing

Answer: (A)

Secondary contamination means contamination spreads from an already contaminated source to another person or surface. In this scenario, a contaminated person or an object that carries contamination comes into contact with someone else, transferring the contaminant. This is how secondary contamination typically occurs—through contact, shared clothing, tools, or surfaces that carry the contaminant to others. By comparison, primary contamination is the initial introduction of the contaminant, and dissolving in water or vaporizing describes environmental movement of material rather than the direct transfer from a contaminated source to someone else.