What is the introduction or presence of a foreign substance in the environment, but does not necessarily pose a health risk?

• A. Contaminant
• B. Impurity
• C. Contamination
• D. Adulteration

Answer: (C)

The central idea here is the presence of an unwanted substance in the environment. Contamination describes the condition where a foreign substance is present in air, water, soil, or food. It doesn’t inherently mean there’s a health risk—the actual danger depends on the substance, its amount, and how people are exposed. The substance causing it would be called a contaminant. Impurity refers to something that reduces purity inside a material, not the environmental condition. Adulteration is about intentionally degrading a product’s quality by adding something else. So contamination best captures the idea of a foreign substance presence in the environment, regardless of immediate health risk.