Biohazard Symbol

The Biohazard symbol was originally developed by the Dow Chemical Company in 1966. An engineer by the name of Charles Baldwin claims to have been directly involved in its creation. According to his account they were concerned by the lack of standardisation and prepared several possible designs that were market-tested before selecting the one that is currently accepted as the standard.

Apparently they wanted a design that was meaningless so that they could educate the public as to its purpose and chose orange / red as tests had show it to be the “most visible’ colour. It was also designed to be recognisable from any angle. When the developers were satisfied, it was “published in the Journal (magazine) Science and was rapidly accepted by the CDC – Centre(s) for Disease Control, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institutes of Health.

Today it is recognised by most educated people and has been associated with “Weapons of Mass Destruction” and numerous science fiction films. Many people see it as a more frightening symbol than the one for radiation. Some have even referred to it as the “True” Doomsday sign.

Biohazard Symbol