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Cautionary Tales · August 15, 2022 · 38m
The Glowing Women and the Radium Dial
Cautionary Tales
The Radium Girls — the young women who painted glow-in-the-dark watch dials with radium paint, were told it was safe, and died of radiation poisoning while their employer suppressed the evidence and fought their lawsuits.
Highlights
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Corporations knew radium was dangerous — and suppressed the evidence to protect profits
US Radium Corporation's own scientists took precautions against radiation exposure. But the dial painters — young working-class women — were told to lick their brushes to create fine points. The company knew and didn't care.•
The Radium Girls' lawsuit established the principle that employers are responsible for workplace safety
Harford traces how the Radium Girls' lawsuit — fought by dying women against a powerful corporation — established legal precedents that eventually became OSHA workplace safety standards.