Episode 591: The Radium Girls
Episode 591: The Radium Girls
14Digest
This podcast episode delves into the harrowing story of the Radium Girls, a group of women who worked in factories painting watch dials with radium-based paint in the early 20th century. The episode begins by introducing the hosts and the podcast, Morbid, before transitioning to the main topic: the Radium Girls. The hosts discuss the discovery of radium by Marie Curie and its potential applications in medicine, but also highlight the dangers of radium when used in other applications. The episode then focuses on the history of radium's use in manufacturing, particularly in the development of luminescent paint. The hosts introduce the Radium Luminous Materials Corporation, which later became the United States Radium Corporation, and its role in producing radium-based paint. They explain the process of dial painting, which involved applying luminescent paint to clock and watch faces, and highlight the technique of "lip pointing," where painters would wet their brushes with their lips or tongues to create a fine point, unaware of the dangers of ingesting radium. The episode explores the public's widespread enthusiasm for radium-based products, despite the known dangers, and the reasons behind this misunderstanding, including limited scientific knowledge and the association of scientific discovery with progress. The hosts highlight the dial painters' enthusiasm for radium, even consuming small amounts of the paint due to its taste, emphasizing the contrast between radium's potential in medicine and its inherent toxicity when used in other applications. The episode reveals that the founder of US Radium, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky, was aware of radium's toxicity, having experienced a radiation burn himself. They explain how radium behaves like calcium, leading the body to absorb it into bones and cause decay. The hosts describe how the dial painters became local celebrities, known for their "glowing" appearance due to the radium dust on their skin and clothes. They discuss the allure of the job and the social status it provided. The episode details the first signs of illness among the dial painters, including acne, tooth pain, and loose teeth, and highlights the company's efforts to downplay these symptoms and reassure workers that the paint was safe. The hosts focus on the story of Molly Maja, a dial painter who experienced severe jaw pain and necrosis, describing the graphic details of her condition and the dentist's attempts to treat her, ultimately leading to the removal of her jaw and inner ear. The episode discusses the second wave of symptoms experienced by the dial painters, including menstrual cycle irregularities, sterility, and birth defects, highlighting the devastating consequences of radium exposure on their reproductive health. The hosts introduce the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois, which used the same lip-pointing technique as US Radium, and discuss the company's disregard for safety and the girls' continued exposure to radium. The episode tells the story of Peg Loony, a young painter at Radium Dial who experienced similar symptoms to Molly Maja, and highlights the company's attempts to cover up her illness and prevent her family from visiting her in the company hospital. The hosts discuss the increasing number of illnesses among the dial painters at both US Radium and Radium Dial, revealing the companies' efforts to discredit medical experts who tried to expose the dangers of radium and their attempts to cover up the truth. The episode describes the growing awareness of the dangers of radium and the dial painters' determination to seek justice. They introduce Grace Fryer, a former dial painter who, along with others, decided to file a lawsuit against US Radium. The hosts detail the legal battle faced by the Radium Girls, who sued US Radium for negligence and deceit, discussing the challenges they faced, including the statute of limitations and the company's attempts to delay the case. The episode concludes by discussing the Radium Girls' legacy and their impact on workplace safety regulations. They highlight the importance of their fight for justice and the lasting impact of their story. The episode also discusses the legal battle faced by the Radium Girls, the judge's ruling that the statute of limitations did not apply in their case, and the company's attempt to use the statute of limitations to dismiss the lawsuit. The episode recounts the remarkable act of selflessness by Katherine Shobb, one of the Radium Girls, who offered herself as a living specimen for medical research, hoping to find a cure for radium poisoning and save her fellow workers. The episode describes the settlement reached between the Radium Girls and the company, despite the inadequate compensation, and the company's president's statement denying responsibility, blaming the victims for their own misfortune. The episode explores the lasting impact of the Radium Girls' case, highlighting the tragic consequences of corporate negligence and the courage of the women who fought for justice. The episode concludes by emphasizing the importance of workplace safety, the need for transparency in scientific research, and the dangers of unchecked corporate greed.
Outlines
The Radium Girls: A Story of Exploitation and Courage
This podcast episode explores the tragic story of the Radium Girls, a group of women who worked in factories painting watch dials with radium-based paint in the early 20th century. The episode delves into the history of radium, its use in manufacturing, and the dangers of radium exposure. It highlights the Radium Girls' fight for justice against the companies that exploited them and their lasting impact on workplace safety regulations.
The Discovery of Radium and its Applications
The episode discusses the discovery of radium by Marie Curie and its potential applications in medicine. It also highlights the dangers of radium when used in other applications, particularly in the manufacturing of luminescent paint.
The Radium Luminous Materials Corporation and the Rise of Radium Paint
The episode introduces the Radium Luminous Materials Corporation, which later became the United States Radium Corporation, and its role in producing radium-based paint. It explains the process of dial painting and the technique of "lip pointing," which led to the ingestion of radium by the workers.
The Public's Misunderstanding of Radium and its Dangers
The episode explores the public's widespread enthusiasm for radium-based products, despite the known dangers, and the reasons behind this misunderstanding, including limited scientific knowledge and the association of scientific discovery with progress.
The Radium Girls' Enthusiasm and the Hidden Dangers
The episode highlights the dial painters' enthusiasm for radium, even consuming small amounts of the paint due to its taste, emphasizing the contrast between radium's potential in medicine and its inherent toxicity when used in other applications.
The Curies and the Destructive Power of Radium
The episode discusses Marie Curie and her husband's growing understanding of radium's destructive power, even as it was being touted as a miracle cure. They explain how radium's ability to destroy tumors also made it indiscriminate, potentially harming healthy cells.
The Hidden Knowledge of US Radium's Founder
The episode reveals that the founder of US Radium, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky, was aware of radium's toxicity, having experienced a radiation burn himself. They explain how radium behaves like calcium, leading the body to absorb it into bones and cause decay.
The Radium Girls: Local Celebrities with a Glowing Secret
The episode describes how the dial painters became local celebrities, known for their "glowing" appearance due to the radium dust on their skin and clothes. They discuss the allure of the job and the social status it provided.
The First Signs of Illness and the Company's Denial
The episode details the first signs of illness among the dial painters, including acne, tooth pain, and loose teeth, and highlights the company's efforts to downplay these symptoms and reassure workers that the paint was safe.
The Radium Girls' Fight for Justice
The episode describes the growing awareness of the dangers of radium and the dial painters' determination to seek justice. It introduces Grace Fryer, a former dial painter who, along with others, decided to file a lawsuit against US Radium.
Keywords
Radium
A radioactive chemical element with atomic number 88, discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation, making it highly dangerous when ingested or inhaled.
Radium Girls
A group of women who worked in factories painting watch dials with radium-based paint in the early 20th century. They suffered from severe health problems, including bone decay, cancer, and sterility, due to their exposure to radium.
Lip Pointing
A technique used by dial painters to create a fine point on their brushes by wetting the bristles with their lips or tongues. This practice led to the ingestion of radium, causing serious health consequences.
Necrosis
The death of cells or tissues in a living organism, often caused by injury, infection, or lack of blood supply. In the case of the Radium Girls, necrosis was a result of radium poisoning, leading to the decay of bones and tissues.
Radiation Poisoning
A condition caused by exposure to high levels of ionizing radiation, such as from radium. Symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and bone marrow suppression. In severe cases, it can lead to death.
Marie Curie
A Polish-French physicist and chemist who, along with her husband Pierre Curie, discovered radium and polonium. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity and won Nobel Prizes in both physics and chemistry.
US Radium Corporation
A company that produced radium-based paint for watch dials and other applications. The company was responsible for the exposure of hundreds of women to radium, leading to their illnesses and deaths.
Statute of Limitations
A legal time limit within which a lawsuit must be filed. The Radium Girls faced challenges in their lawsuit against US Radium due to the statute of limitations, which had expired for their claims.
Q&A
What were the Radium Girls, and what were the consequences of their work?
The Radium Girls were women who worked in factories painting watch dials with radium-based paint. They suffered from severe health problems, including bone decay, cancer, and sterility, due to their exposure to radium.
Why did the public believe radium was safe, despite the known dangers?
The public's enthusiasm for radium was fueled by limited scientific knowledge, the association of scientific discovery with progress, and the lack of questioning about the safety of radium-based products.
How did the Radium Girls' lawsuit impact workplace safety regulations?
The Radium Girls' lawsuit brought attention to the dangers of radium and led to changes in workplace safety regulations, including the establishment of stricter standards for handling radioactive materials.
What were the ethical implications of the companies' actions in covering up the dangers of radium?
The companies' actions in covering up the dangers of radium were unethical and resulted in the suffering and deaths of hundreds of women. Their disregard for worker safety and their attempts to deceive medical experts and the public were morally reprehensible.
What lessons can we learn from the story of the Radium Girls?
The story of the Radium Girls serves as a reminder of the importance of workplace safety, the need for transparency in scientific research, and the dangers of unchecked corporate greed. It highlights the importance of questioning authority and advocating for one's own health and well-being.
What were the main health consequences faced by the Radium Girls?
The Radium Girls suffered severe health consequences, including bone cancer, anemia, and damage to the liver, kidneys, and spleen. They also experienced jawbone necrosis, a condition where the jawbone deteriorates due to radium exposure.
How did the Radium Girls' case impact workplace safety standards?
The Radium Girls' case led to significant changes in workplace safety standards, including the requirement for protective gear for radium dial painters and the passage of the Occupational Disease Act. Their fight for justice helped raise awareness of the dangers of radium and the need for better worker protection.
What was the company's response to the Radium Girls' lawsuit?
The company initially attempted to dismiss the lawsuit using the statute of limitations. When that failed, they settled out of court, offering inadequate compensation to the women. The company's president issued a statement denying responsibility, blaming the victims for their own misfortune.
What is the legacy of the Radium Girls?
The Radium Girls' story serves as a reminder of the dangers of corporate negligence and the importance of worker safety. Their courage in fighting for justice paved the way for future workplace safety standards and inspired other lawsuits against companies that exploited their workers.
Show Notes
When Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium in 1898, the chemical element was quickly adopted by manufacturers for its luminescent properties that would go on to be used in, among other things, the painting of clock faces, watches, and instrument panels, allowing them to be seen in the dark. At the time, the introduction of radioluminescent materials into manufacturing was hailed as a scientific solution to an age-old frustration, but it didn’t take long before that solution was shown to have terrible consequences.
As a radioactive element, radium is highly toxic to humans, particularly when ingested or inhaled. While it seemed unlikely that anyone would ingest or inhale the radium used to paint a clockface, this fact posed a serious problem for the largely female factory workers whose job it was to paint the dials. These “Radium Girls,” as they would come to be known, not only spent most of their day in close proximity to the paint, but also employed a technique in which they frequently wet their paintbrushes with their mouths, consuming small amounts of radium in the process.
Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, hundreds of young women working in at least three radium dial factories in the United States suffered deadly radiation poisoning as a result of working so closely with radium, all without any safety protocols and completely unaware of the dangers. After dozens of deaths, a group of factory workers successfully sued their employers for damages, exposing the widespread disregard for worker safety. While the suits were generally a major victory for the American labor movement, it was ultimately hard-won and little comfort to those who would die within a few years.
Thank you to the incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research!
References
Camden Courier-Post. 1928. "Woman radium victim offers living body to aid in search for cure." Courier-Post, May 29: 1.
eGov Newswire. 2021. "Menedez leads colleagues in introducing senate resolution to honor the lives and legacy of the 'Radium Girls'." eGov Newswire, June 26.
Evening Courier. 1927. "Radium poison victims want damage suit limits raised." Evening Courier, July 19: 2.
Galant, Debbie. 1996. "Living with a radium nightmare." New York Times, September 29: NJ1.
Lang, Daniel. 1959. "A most valuable accident." New Yorker, April 24: 49.
McAndrew, Tara McClellan. 2018. The Radium Girls: An Illinois Tragedy. January 25. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.nprillinois.org/equity-justice/2018-01-25/the-radium-girls-an-illinois-tragedy.
Moore, Kate. 2017. The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women. New York, NY: Sourcebooks.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. n.d. Radium Girls: The Story of US Radium’s Superfund Site. Environmental Preservation Snapshot, Orange, NJ: New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
New York Times. 1928. "Finds no bar to suit by radium victims." New York Times, May 23: 11.
Prisco, Jacopo. 2017. "Radium Girls: The dark times of luminous watches." CNN, December 19.
United Press. 1928. "Woman, dying by degrees, tells of symptoms of radium posioning." Courier-News, May 16: 6.
—. 1928. "3 more are victims of radiun poisoning." Evening Courier, May 22: 1.
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ENOUGH with the giggles. I do love this show, but when these 2 get giggly it makes me want to stop listening. no disrespect but please. try and get those out before u record. A little laughter is great, but there is such a thing as to much.