Despite the harmful consequences of their work, these women were not made aware of the risks, nor were they given protective gear or informed of the dangers of the substances they were working with. Little did they know that the radium they were ingesting was extremely toxic and would cause them serious health complications.Īlthough radiation sickness was not yet fully understood during the time these women were working, it was eventually determined that the radium was responsible for a host of health complications, including bone fractures, anemia, and cancer.
They were instructed to use their lips to shape their paintbrushes into precise points in order to paint the small numbers and dots on the dials. The Radium Girls were young, female factory workers who were hired to paint watch dials with a luminous paint that contained radium. Were Radium Girls buried in lead coffins? How many of the Radium Girls dies?.How many people died from radium in 1920s?.Who was the last survivor of Radium Girls?.
Moreover, the tragic story of these women and the suffering they endured from radium poisoning played a significant role in raising awareness about the risks of toxic substances in the workplace and the need for better regulations to protect workers from such hazards. The exact number of women who were killed by radium poisoning is uncertain, but it is estimated that over 1000 women were affected by radium poisoning, and many of them ultimately lost their lives. As a result, they would absorb a dangerous amount of radioactive material which led to severe health issues, including bone deterioration and cancers.ĭue to the ongoing exposure to radium, many of these women suffered painful and devastating deaths. Little did they know that the paint was made with radium, a highly radioactive substance that emitted alpha particles, which were highly damaging to the body’s cells. These workers, predominantly women, would often lick the tips of their paintbrushes to get a finer point. However, there were known cases where radium was used in the 20th century by companies for painting watch dials and other instruments. The Catastrophists EP falls in line with his work with Rage Against the Machine and Prophets of Rage in that regard.The exact number of girls who have died from radium poisoning is difficult to determine. Every year I place flowers at the small monument to these quiet heroes and this song is dedicated to their memory.”Īs a public figure, Morello has always used his platform for political activism and awareness.
The resulting court cases and publicity led to historic nationwide labor protection legislation. “They were encouraged to lick the paintbrushes to a point to increase productivity and profit and in the end their bones literally fell apart from cancer and they were so toxic they had to be buried in lead lined coffins. “I spent every summer as a kid near Ottawa, Illinois where these doomed girls used deadly radium laced paint to make glow-in-the-dark watches,” Morello said. The guitarist went on to explain the origins of the song, a tribute to the female workers infamously exposed to radium while producing glow-in-the-dark watches at an Illinois factory in the 1920s.
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