Is it safe to keep house hold chemicals bottles near food shelves - after all if one is careful enough not to add them accidentally to food while cooking ? Or are they volatile and will settle on our food items ? 
Rotting occurs as cells break down and autolyse together with other chemical reactions and aided by microbial (fungal and bacteria) contamination.  It is not initiated by pathogens, but is rather a normal cause of events.  Note that ripening (i.e., the earliest stage of rot) and fermentation (e.g., beer and kimchi) are related processes performed under controlled conditions 