Contamination - Wikipedia Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that renders something unsuitable, unfit or harmful for the physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc [1][2][3]
Definition of Contaminant | US EPA The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) defines "contaminant" as a ny physical, chemical, biological or radiological substance or matter in water Drinking water may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants
Contaminants in Drinking Water Drinking water standards are called maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) MCLs are found in Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations Primary MCLs address health concerns -- here is a comparison of Federal and California MCLs (PDF) Esthetics such as taste and odor are addressed by secondary MCLs (PDF)