This is one of our brain's "shortcuts" that let us process more information using fewer resources than a mechanical brain would require. If we had to observe every bit of information individually before we could form a brain picture, we'd never be able to process it fast enough to drive and stuff.
Centuries-old stone markers are scattered across Japan's coast, warning that earthquakes are followed by tsunami, and marking where buildings will be vulnerable. Some towns followed the warnings, and built homes only on high ground. Others ignored these warning stones. This is in a country where earthquakes and accompanying tsunami are pretty frequent!
More relevant is the frequency of incidents where radioactive metals find their way into scrap metal. Medical equipment containing radioactive Cobalt or Cesium sometimes ends up in junkyards after they are decommissioned. These devices are then disassembled, and the parts sold as scrap, including the radioactive 'source'. The scrap is sometimes melted down and mixed with steel to make reinforcing bars (rebar) for construction. Many incidents of this type are documented at Wikipedia. The contaminated rebar is sometimes intercepted before it is used in buildings, but sometimes it is not detected until long after installation. An apartment building in Taiwan, along with other buildings, is still being rented to tenants in spite of being built with radioactive rebar.
Radiomedical devices are clearly marked, and the containers for the radioactive 'source' material are built to be durable and are themselves well-marked with the familiar nuclear-trefoil. In spite of this, salvage of radioactive metals still occurs in many countries, resulting in the deaths of scrap-metal collectors, foundry workers and others. This is not an issue for untold generations in the future: we cannot even protect people today. Last year, radioactive rebar was found being used in India, and Mexican radioactive rebar was detected in a California scrap-metal facility.
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We have an example of how effective such warnings are: Associated Press - Tsunami-hit towns forgot warnings from ancestors.
[EDIT: the article is no longer there, so here's a link to a related article in the NY Times.]
Centuries-old stone markers are scattered across Japan's coast, warning that earthquakes are followed by tsunami, and marking where buildings will be vulnerable. Some towns followed the warnings, and built homes only on high ground. Others ignored these warning stones. This is in a country where earthquakes and accompanying tsunami are pretty frequent!
More relevant is the frequency of incidents where radioactive metals find their way into scrap metal. Medical equipment containing radioactive Cobalt or Cesium sometimes ends up in junkyards after they are decommissioned. These devices are then disassembled, and the parts sold as scrap, including the radioactive 'source'. The scrap is sometimes melted down and mixed with steel to make reinforcing bars (rebar) for construction. Many incidents of this type are documented at Wikipedia. The contaminated rebar is sometimes intercepted before it is used in buildings, but sometimes it is not detected until long after installation. An apartment building in Taiwan, along with other buildings, is still being rented to tenants in spite of being built with radioactive rebar.
Radiomedical devices are clearly marked, and the containers for the radioactive 'source' material are built to be durable and are themselves well-marked with the familiar nuclear-trefoil. In spite of this, salvage of radioactive metals still occurs in many countries, resulting in the deaths of scrap-metal collectors, foundry workers and others. This is not an issue for untold generations in the future: we cannot even protect people today. Last year, radioactive rebar was found being used in India, and Mexican radioactive rebar was detected in a California scrap-metal facility.