Contaminants are substances that are unwanted or harmful, and they may exist in the environment or products we use daily. There are several synonyms for the word contaminants, such as pollutants, toxins, impurities, poisons, adulterants, and contaminates. Each of these terms is used depending on the context, but they all refer to something that is unhealthy, unsafe, or tainted. Pollutants specifically pertain to the presence of unwanted substances in the air, water, or soil that results from human activities. Toxins imply that the substance is poisonous and potentially life-threatening. Impurities are contaminants that decrease the quality or value of a product or material, while poisons and contaminates are more general terms used to describe unsafe or tainted substances. Adulterants describe contaminants that are intentionally added to a product to deceive the consumer, while contaminates refer to substances that invade something to make it impure.