It's a Radiation Vibe I'm Groovin' On

Reading the News of the Weird blog, I see there's a new radiation warning symbol, courtesy of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA):

Radiation warning symbol from the IAEA.

You may have heard of the IAEA -- they've been involved in many of the world's garden spots, like Iraq, Iran and North Korea.

After extensive research, the IAEA came up with this symbol, which manufacturers are supposed to put on radiation sources (and not on the outsides of machines, doors, or other normally visible spots), to keep people from accidentally irradiating themselves.

So if you're a scrap metal scavenger taking something apart and you see this symbol, you should probably stop what you're doing and walk away.

The IAEA says that they did extensive polling and testing (especially among the poor and illiterate -- must have been an interesting focus group session), and that people understood the symbol to say "Danger, Stay Away."

However, to my eyes, the symbol clearly says, "This Will Make You Run Faster."

If you have an alternate interpretation of the symbol, leave a comment below and tell us what it really means.

Now, since this is a serious symbol, with a serious purpose (saving people from accidental radiation exposure), you probably wouldn't want to scale down the symbol so you could fit six on an 8.5"x11" piece of sticker paper and start putting them on laptops and such:

"Radiation Inside."

In an interesting coincidencence (or is it?), the warning sticker completely matches the color scheme of the UnCut Video sticker also on my laptop.

Now, since I am apparently preoccupied with anything that could lead to the eventual creation of radioactively reanimated zombies:

... this kind of reminds me of another radiation-related story: Since the most potent radioactive waste is going to stay dangerous for thousands and thousands of years, how do you warn future civilizations, who won't be speaking English or any other current language, to stay away? (Assuming humanity survives that long, of course.)

That's the premise of the Message to 12,000 A.D., which was a study in concepts for how to label a nuclear waste site, so that future archaeologists, construction workers and tomb raiders don't try to dig it up.

Interesting stuff, because it has to be built to last, and it can't be too fancy, or else people might think it's a monument, or hiding something valuable.

More importantly, there's another graphic that would go great on a cubicle wall, dorm door, or other place:

Now, if you should happen to have an alternate explanation for the radiation symbol, or a photo of your own odd signs or warning labels, leave a link in the comments so the rest of us can see.

(Incidentally, the title of this entry is a Fountains of Wayne lyric. It's catchy.)

Thanks -- Joe

Tags: iaea, radiation symbol, wipp, nuclear waste, magic smoke, iconography