The Radium Worked Until His Jaw Fell Off
[media=https://youtu.be/kIoIn6iDZgY?t=1150]
Crazywaterspring · 61-69, M
LeopoldBloom · M
This reminds me of the "radium girls" from the U.S. Radium Corp., who ingested radium over several years in the 1930s by licking the brushes they used to apply radioactive paint to watch dials, to give the bristles a "point" to apply the paint more precisely. Management assured them that this was perfectly safe, although company executives made sure to protect themselves when they handled the paint.
The problem was discovered when employees experienced loose teeth, mouth ulcers, necrosis of the jaw, and other ailments. Management denied any connection to the radioactivity, claiming the girls had been affected by x-rays or syphilis.
The same thing happened with the Radium Dial Company in Illinois, where the employees were told that their radium was "diluted" when they inquired about the issues at U.S. Radium Corp.
Eventually a lawsuit against U.S. Radium Corp. was filed, and when the five witnesses were brought in to court, two were bedridden, and none were strong enough to raise their arms to take the oath. The trial ended in their favor, and the settlement was for the equivalent of $188,000 each. The lawsuit against Radium Dial was appealed to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear it, and most of the litigants received nothing.
The last factory making radium paint for use on clock dials, the Luminous Processes Inc., closed in 1978. As a child, I remember glow-in-the dark clock dials. You could take them outside and expose them to sunlight, and when you brought them into the dark, they would glow.
The problem was discovered when employees experienced loose teeth, mouth ulcers, necrosis of the jaw, and other ailments. Management denied any connection to the radioactivity, claiming the girls had been affected by x-rays or syphilis.
The same thing happened with the Radium Dial Company in Illinois, where the employees were told that their radium was "diluted" when they inquired about the issues at U.S. Radium Corp.
Eventually a lawsuit against U.S. Radium Corp. was filed, and when the five witnesses were brought in to court, two were bedridden, and none were strong enough to raise their arms to take the oath. The trial ended in their favor, and the settlement was for the equivalent of $188,000 each. The lawsuit against Radium Dial was appealed to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear it, and most of the litigants received nothing.
The last factory making radium paint for use on clock dials, the Luminous Processes Inc., closed in 1978. As a child, I remember glow-in-the dark clock dials. You could take them outside and expose them to sunlight, and when you brought them into the dark, they would glow.
