Hot zone (hazard)

Hot zone refers to an area that is considered to be dangerous due to biological, chemical, or nuclear contamination. For example, the area in which remediation or containment work during a hazardous materials incident is considered the hot zone, for which individuals must be trained to and prepared to enter and leave through specific corridors. The "hot zone" also refers to the area in which dangerous biological organisms are handled, such as the Biosafety Level 4 (BSL4) area of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The term Hot Zone was popularized in the (non-fiction) book The Hot Zone by Richard Preston, on which the (fiction) film Outbreak is loosely based.