Aftermath
All five women died within the next few months following the lawsuit. The story of the "Radium Girls" highlighted the consequences of the wrongdoings of the U.S Radium Corporation and shed light on other instances of neglect by employers around the country.
"HILLSIDE (N.J.) March 31. (AP) - Mrs. Edna Hussman, 37, one of the "five radium girls" who sued the United States Radium Corp. in 1928, charging they contracted radium poisoning while painting luminous numerals on watch dials, died yesterday."
RightsThe women working in the radium factory in Orange, New Jersey had the right to know of the dangers of the substances they were not only working with, but ingesting. Had they been notified of the risks they were taking by using the radioactive luminous paint, the women surely would have exercised caution and many lives could have been saved. As a result of US Radium's deceit, the women suffered emotional and physical damage. Workers' rights is an important issue in our country to this day.
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ResponsibilitiesThe United States Radium Corporation was aware of the dangers of radium, but neglected to notify their employees. Even after Cecil Drinker reported about the poor conditions the women were working in and made suggestions to improve the factories, U.S. Radium failed to do anything to ensure the safety of their workers. U.S. Radium had the responsibility to not only tell its workers of the dangers of radium, but to proactively create a safe working environment. The responsibility of looking after employees is on the shoulders of the employer.
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