Hot zone, also written as hot-zone or hotzone, refers to an area or region that is significantly affected by environmental hazards or risks.
The term hot zone was likely coined during the Cold War where it described locations rendered hazardous due to nuclear contamination.
The term was later extended to areas or locations considered to be hazardous such as Level-4 biosafety labs, places in which there is active conflict, and so forth.
Spain, China, the United States, and South Korea are considered to be hot zones of swine influenza.
The patients with swine influenza virus have symptoms consisting of headaches, chills, fatigue, fever, cough and sore throat.
In Peru a port city called Iquitos the population has been growing in the past 10 years making it prime for mosquitoes to flourish.
[4] With an increased world population in the early 21st century water borne diseases have become the most pressing hot zone.
These may include containment and cleanup procedures, personal protective equipment for workers or responders, monitoring of air and water quality, evacuation or restriction measures, and remediation efforts to reduce or eliminate the presence of hazardous chemicals.
[9] Contamination can also have environmental consequences, including damage to ecosystems, disruptions in the food chain, and the persistence of radioactive materials in the environment for extended periods.
[10] In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and its accompanying tsunami struck a nuclear power station in Fukushima Daiichi area of northeastern Japan.
As the fuel temperature went up, zirconium alloy cladding reacted with the hot steam removing oxygen from water molecule, leaving hydrogen gas.
The hydrogen gas was ultimately vented off into the reactor building, because of the design of the facility, mixing with air and creating an explosive environment.
As you can see from the above statements, they can cause massive panic, disease, and not to mention the fact that humans and other organisms may not be able to inhabit the affected area for many years to come.
Violence can induce a hot zone, as occupants are subject to attacks, crossfire, or even direct fire targeted at them specifically.
[13] These areas are projected to experience significant changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, sea-level rise, and other climate-related factors.