Thesis
During the 1900s, radium was used to make luminous paint for dials on clocks. The women painting these dials in a factory in Orange, New Jersey were ingesting radioactive material on a daily basis. The United States Radium Corporation was aware of the dangers of radium and had the responsibility to tell their employees of these dangers, but they neglected to do so. This lead to an astonishing amount of health issues and deaths. Five of the workers eventually sued U.S. Radium for their wrongdoings and became known as the "Radium Girls." This event is significant to the development of workers' rights and labor laws.
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"There seemed to be an utter lack of realization of the dangers inherent in the material which was being manufactured."
~Cecil Drinker, a noted Harvard professor and toxicologist hired by US Radium Corporation, in an excerpt from his original report on the working conditions in the factory.
~Cecil Drinker, a noted Harvard professor and toxicologist hired by US Radium Corporation, in an excerpt from his original report on the working conditions in the factory.
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