Saturday, February 24, 2007

New Radiation Sign

There's no possibility of misinterpreting the International Atomic Energy Agency's new Radiation warning sign. I didn't think the original one with just the trefoil could be misinterpreted either -- especially when it's usually accompanied by the words "CAUTION" and "RADIATION AREA". But the IAEA isn't taking chances.

"The UN atomic agency on Thursday launched a new, more graphic symbol to denote dangerous radioactive material -- a skull and crossbones with a person running. The new design will stand alongside, rather than replace, the trefoil -- the original radiation symbol that resembles a kind of three-sail windmill, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a statement."

So instead of just saying "Radiation Area" and assuming most people could kind of take it from there, the new sign says "Radiation Area -- It'll Kill You -- Get the fuck out of here!" The scary thing is that there must have been enough accidents to make the IAEA think this was necessary; which means there are a lot of really dumb people hanging around some really dangerous places. That should make everyone feel more comfortable.