International Nuclear Radiation Symbol
New radiation warning symbol
The new supplementary
radiation danger symbol
Experts from 11 countries worked for 5 years to create the new radiation-warning symbol, launched by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) on 15 February 2007.
The new image supplements the three cornered trefoil, the traditional international symbol for radiation, which has been used since 1946.
The new symbol has radiating waves, a skull and crossbones and a running person, which communicates the invisible and deadly health risks posed by radiation, encouraging people to run away from it as quickly as possible.
Developed by human factor experts, graphic artists, and radiation protection experts, the new symbol was tested by the Gallup Institute on a total of 1 650 individuals in Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Thailand, Poland, Ukraine and the United States.
The traditional three
cornered trefoil radiation symbol
When it was launched the IAEA and ISO acknowledged that the traditional radiation symbol, “has no intuitive meaning and little recognition beyond those educated in its significance.”
Carolyn MacKenzie, one of the IAEA’s radiation specialists who helped develop the symbol said, "We can’t teach the world about radiation but we can warn people about dangerous sources for the price of a sticker."
However, the world’s citizens should be taught about radiation if and when they are exposed to it. Radiation poses unacceptable dangers to health, and citizens have a right to know if their bodies and environment are being exposed. They should be fully informed about ways to protect themselves, and should know about contingency and public health precautions that are in place in case of an accident or incident. In far too many places there is inadequate planning and information available in case of a radiation accident; emergency, health and security agencies are not properly equipped or routinely trained to deal with the potentially catastrophic consequences of radiation exposure.
There is no level of radiation exposure below which we are at zero risk: even very low-level medical exposures such as chest X-rays (0.04mSv per test) carry a quantifiable risk of harm, such as cancer. Ionizing radiation also causes damage to DNA, the genetic material in living cells. At higher levels of radiation exposure, cell death results. In parts of the body where cell turnover is normally high, such as the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow, cells may not be replaced quickly enough, and tissues fail to function. This can be fatal.
Because rapidly proliferating and differentiating tissues are very sensitive to radiation damage, the foetus is particularly vulnerable. Exposure of the foetus to radiation has been shown to increase the risk of childhood cancer. Long-term genetic effects are also possible if the damage to the DNA occurs in a reproductive cell (egg or sperm), whereby the error may be passed on to future generations.
