Which zone lies between the hot and cold zones?

• A. Warm zone
• B. Clean zone
• C. Cold zone
• D. Hot zone

Answer: (D)

In decontamination and hazard control, zones are arranged to minimize exposure by moving from the most contaminated to the cleanest area. The hot zone is the area with the highest level of contamination, where entry is restricted. Beyond that lies the warm zone, which serves as the decontamination area where PPE is removed and contaminants are addressed before proceeding. The farthest area is the cold zone, which is the clean zone.

So, the zone between the hot and cold zones is the warm zone. It functions as the transition and decontamination space, preventing spread of contaminants into the clean area. The other labels describe either the most contaminated area (hot) or the clean area (cold), not the transitional one.