An interesting article on the origin of the Bio-Hazard Symbol.
I always saw it as a varation on the Radiation Hazard trefoil. But I always thought the Bio-Hazard one was particularly clever because … well, don’t those look like three plants growing out of the center? Or am I just cracked?
(via Reenhead)
99 view(s)
Okay, I did not see the plants until I went to the article and saw the icon as a stencil.
Yes, it looks like three seedlings, with the first two leaves (called something… ah – cotyledons – thank you, Google) when they are first emerging.
I didn’t see the plants until I read The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vigne — she uses the biohazard symbol as something else completely, mentions that it looks like plants…Took me forever to figure out that a trefoil was a biohazard. Anyway.
I already commented on this at Reenhead’s blog, but it bears repeating:
Consider that other little-considered symbol, the “radura“, the international symbol for irradiated food, which looks like a cute little flower. Ugh. While we’re at it, why don’t we change the “poison – do not drink” symbol to a smiley face?
Huh. I don’t know that I’ve ever noticed that symbol.
On the other hand, irradiated food doesn’t particularly bother me, so …