Monday, April 21, 2014

Radiation is no Joke

They are, in fact, so sure that civilization will break down and current languages forgotten before the material is safe, that a special sign has been developed to post at storage sites. The sign is symbolic in nature but as any messages left behind by long forgotten civilizations to message the future generations or to warn them, the very meanings of the symbols can take hundreds of years to decipher. And even then the true meanings are only guessed at. Here is the sign ... many have already seen it and thought is was a joke meme ... I did. I was shocked to find out that it is an actual sign, not a joke.


United Nations Symbol
UN Radiation Symbol
In February of 2007, the United Nations introduced a new symbol to help reduce accidental exposure to large radioactive sources. The new icon is aimed at alerting anyone, anywhere to the potential dangers of being close to a large source of ionizing radiation.

The new symbol will not be visible under normal use, but only if someone attempts to disassemble a device that is a source of dangerous radiation. It will not be located on building access doors, transportation packages or containers.

The new symbol is the result of a 5-year project conducted in 11 countries around the world. It was developed by human factor experts, graphic artists, radiation protection experts, and tested on a total of 1,650 individuals in Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Thailand, Poland, Ukraine the United States to ensure that its message of danger - "stay away" was crystal clear & understood by all.
(Source United Nations New Center article, accessed 03/08/07 Exit EPA Disclaimer)

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