Episode 591: The Radium Girls

In 1898, Marie and Pierre Curie's discovery of radium sparked a period of fascination and innovation, although it would later be overshadowed by the element's dangerous properties.

In 1898, after years of research, Polish-French scientists Marie and Pierre Curie discovered the radioactive element radium and recognized its potential applications.

After extensive research into the radioactive nature of mineral pitchblende, Marie and Pierre Curie hypothesized that there were additional elements within the mineral that had not yet been discovered, leading to their groundbreaking identification of radium. This discovery became the cornerstone of Marie Curie's prestigious career in physics, for which she was awarded a Nobel Prize in chemistry. Marie Curie focused on isolating pure metallic radium, ultimately succeeding in 1910.

Radium is a byproduct of the decay of uranium, making it difficult and costly to extract and isolate.

Radium is not naturally occurring; it is instead a byproduct of the decay process of uranium. The isolation of radium required a significant amount of pitchblende; Marie Curie and her assistant Andre Debierne had to process several tons of the mineral to extract a mere one-tenth of a gram of radium, highlighting both its rarity and the challenge of its extraction. This process was not only arduous but also expensive and hazardous, although the full extent of its dangers was not yet widely recognized.

Despite the perils of radium exposure, which began surfacing gradually, its intriguing properties, such as the ability to glow in the dark independently of any external power source due to the charged phosphorus component zinc sulfide inherent in its decay, captured public interest.

During the height of radium's popularity and in the early 20th century, extraction plants popped up across the United States to harness and capitalize on its power. Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky developed a luminescent paint in 1915, which proved to be an apt application for radium due to the small quantities required. That same year, ...

The tragic story of the radium girls reveals the devastating health consequences they faced due to repeated exposure to radiation as dial painters in the early 20th century, as well as the lack of accountability and awareness regarding the hazards of radium.

Young women, often teenagers, were hired as "dial painters" to painstakingly apply radium-containing paint to clock and watch faces, exposing them to high levels of radiation.

The dial painters at Radium Dial became local celebrities, partly due to the glamorous glow of radium on their clothing and faces. These young women, often in their late teens or early twenties, worked in what was referred to as a studio, where they mixed their own paint using radium powder, adhesive, and water. This process resulted in the painters being constantly covered in a fine coating of radium powder. Notably, in Ottawa, Illinois, many of the painters at Radium Dial were under 18, with some as young as 11 years old.

The dial painters frequently ingested radium by "lip pointing" their brushes, a common technique at the time to achieve fine details.

To maintain a fine point on their very fine camel hair brushes, the painters used a technique known as lip pointing, where they would wet the bristles of the brush with their lips or tongue. This technique was inherited from painting china dolls and was embraced without concern since radium was widely promoted in various products. For entertainment, some girls painted their faces, nails, and even their teeth with the radium paint.

Over time, the radium accumulated in the painters' bodies, leading to a range of devastating health issues including jaw and tooth deterioration, bone disintegration, and cancers.

The radium ingested by the workers emitted constant radiation from within their bodies, causing minor wounds to remain permanently open and leading to conditions such as "radium jaw." Symptoms included tooth pain, loose teeth, severe aches, and even parts of the jaw falling out. Some women, like Catherine Donahue, became so debilitated that their spines collapsed, they became bedridden, and they could no longer walk. These health problems were exacerbated by the uncooperative nature of the companies when it came to sharing information about the dangers of radium. Even doctors, dentists, and insurance statisticians noted the prevalence of health issues among dial painters, with some suffering from the bone-crumbling effects of continual internal radiation.

Symptoms were often misdiagnosed, a ...

Despite evidence that radium companies were aware of the risks of radium exposure, they actively concealed these dangers, manipulating information, and dismissing concerns to maintain their image and profits.

Despite evidence that the radium companies were aware of the risks, they actively concealed the dangers from their employees and the public.

Radium Dial did not prioritize safety regarding product and material waste and actively misled its workers on the dangers of radium exposure. Workers were assured by their employers at Radium Dial that the radium paint was safe and would enhance their beauty. These assurances were part of a broader pattern of misinformation perpetuated by radium companies that had a vested interest in promoting radium products.

When illnesses manifest, the companies manage the situation tightly. For instance, when Peg Looney collapsed at work, she was hurried to the company hospital, and her family was not allowed to visit. The company's insistence on immediate burial led the family to suspect a cover-up. Despite the family's insistence on an autopsy for Peg, the company claimed it was already completed and showed only diphtheria.

Catherine Donahue was fired from Radium Dial because her limping caused talk, and claims of radium poisoning could not be proven by local doctors. Similarly, US Radium hired a consultant who reported the negative effects of radium exposure, but the company falsified his report to present a positive assessment to the New Jersey Department of Labor.

Company executives dismissed concerns from workers and doctors, claiming the radium exposure was harmless.

Grace Fryer recalled being explicitly told not to put the brush in her mouth due to sickness, substantiating that at least some company executives were aware of radium's hazards. However, they tried to discredit Dr. Martland’s work, which was contrary to their narrative. Similarly, Von Seshaki acknowledged having raised concerns to the company's board but was met with resistance from top-level management.

Despite knowing their product's toxicity, company officials, including Von Sochocky, withheld this critical information from workers. Dr. George Willis told the girls not to worry about their symptoms, misdirecting them from associating their ailments with their work.

When workers began falling ill and dying, the companies fought legal efforts to hold them accountable, even going so far as to delay court proceedings in hopes ...

The story of the 'radium girls' is one of courage, perseverance, and the quest for justice that led to significant changes in workplace safety standards and compensation laws for occupational diseases. The young women, including Grace Fryer and Catherine Schaub, took on powerful corporations and brought attention to the harmful effects of radium poisoning, forever changing the way worker protections are viewed and implemented.

Several radium girls, including Grace Fryer and Catherine Schaub, bravely fought back against the corporations, filing lawsuits and raising public awareness of the radium poisoning.

Catherine Schaub was just 14 when she started working at US Radium, and she, along with others, soon fell ill from the radium used in the paint. Speculation grew among dial painters that radium paint was the cause of their diseases as the death rate among former workers soared. Grace Fryer, suspecting US Radium knew about the dangers and covered it up, sought justice for herself and her friends. Fryer and her cohorts faced a daunting legal battle, but after two years, found a lawyer. In 1927, they filed a lawsuit against US Radium for damages.

Despite significant health challenges, the radium girls persisted in their legal battle, eventually securing a modest settlement from the companies.

The radium girls petitioned the New Jersey Supreme Court to expand the statute of limitation for workplace negligence claims, understanding the long-term effects of radium exposure. As their lawsuit gained public attention, Fryer and the others pleaded their case in the press, drawing attention to their illnesses and US Radium's negligence. The urgency of the trial was heightened by their deteriorating health, and by late May, more former painters had joined the lawsuit.

Facing similar challenges, Katherine Donahue and other victims filed a lawsuit against the Radium Dial Company in Ottawa, Illinois. Both in New Jersey and Illinois, the suits were hard-fought but eventually led to victories.

The radium girls' struggle led to important reforms, including new workplace safety standards, changes to occupational disease compensation laws, and the recognition of the radium girls' sacrifice and contribution to worker protections.

After Vice Chancellor John Bacchus ruled that the statute of limitations was inapplicable, the radium girls' case could proceed quickly. The plaintiffs were advised to drop the existing case and file a new one under new standards. Prior to the new trial, the women settled with US Radium, accepting a $10,000 lump sum payment and $600 yearly for life. Thi ...