The Radium Girls and Lies that Employers Tell To Protect Their Bottom Lines

[ashling]

https://www.buzzfeed.com/authorkatemoore/the-light-that-does-not-lie?bffbmain=undefined&ref=bffbmain&utm_term=.mm5B1azMr#.gf5ko9JY6

Truth and Lies

"The first thing we asked [was] ‘Does this stuff hurt you?’" Mae Cubberley, who instructed Grace in the technique, later remembered. "Naturally you don’t want to put anything in your mouth that is going to hurt you. Mr. Savoy [the manager] said that it wasn’t dangerous, that we didn’t need to be afraid."

But that wasn’t true. Ever since the glowing element had been discovered, it had been known to cause harm; Marie Curie herself had suffered radiation burns from handling it. People had died of radium poisoning before the first dial painter ever picked up her brush. That was why the men at the radium companies wore lead aprons in their laboratories and handled the radium with ivory-tipped tongs. Yet the dial painters were not afforded such protection, or even warned it might be necessary.

That was because, at that time, a small amount of radium — such as the girls were handling — was believed to be beneficial to health: People drank radium water as a tonic, and one could buy cosmetics, butter, milk, and toothpaste laced with the wonder element. Newspapers reported its use would "add years to our lives!"

But that belief was founded upon research conducted by the very same radium firms who had built their lucrative industry around it. They ignored all the danger signs; when asked, managers told the girls the substance would put roses in their cheeks.

[smirkymonkey]

1. K&R

[canetoad]

2. It's easy to have perfect hindsight

It goes without saying that the lives of women have always been considered less important than men. But a better illustration is the attempt to roll back the hundreds if not thousands of health and safety regulations when they know damn well what the dangers and consequences are.

In those days it may not have been well documented or understood. Nowadays, there is no doubt that certain occupations entail hazardous risks. Risks that no employer has the right to expect an employee to undertake.

[Docreed2003]

3. K&R an important story to be remembered

I had cold chills at the end when they described the fact that the remains of these poor women continue to glow, and likely will continue to do so for another 1600 years

[longship]

4. 1600 years is just the half life.

In 1600 years half the radioactivity still remains. In 3200 years there will 1/4 the radium. Etc., losing half of what's left every 1600 years.

It will take many thousands of years before it's safe.

[Docreed2003]

5. Good point, I missed that it said half-life