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Explanation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls
The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting radium dials – watch dials and hands with self-luminous paint. The incidents occurred at three factories in the United States: one in Orange, New Jersey, beginning around 1917; one in Ottawa, Illinois, beginning in the early 1920s; and one in Waterbury, Connecticut, also in the 1920s.
They were instructed to wet the tip of the brushes on their tongue to make it pointy. Causing them to regularly ingest small quantities of Radium.
Sounds like good old American manufacturing. Could have easily left a little cup with water nearby, but the workers got a tongue so that would just drive up costs!
Capitalists need to be shot in the streets like rabid dogs
Eh, some of them maybe but try and remember that it’s a tool for economic function, yes there are alternatives, but surely Stalinist communism taught us that any economic system like any tool can be abused. It’s most likely we’ll need a better culture if we’re to fix the issues with the world that capitalism is often used to exasperate.
This is why workplace safety regulations exist and why part of those requirements is that workers are informed of the hazards they are going to encounter during work.
People who are broadly anti regulation are fools or villains. Fools don’t know history and villains don’t care. Sometimes people are both.
no no, the invisible hand of the market will fix it! it’s just, sometimes, the fix is death. Oh, and child labor.
They were encouraged to lick the brushes before dipping them in the “paint”. Obviously, the brushes would still have paint residue on them from the last time they were dipped.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from history, it’s to not lick things that aren’t people, and to be very careful licking those
No ice cream for you, huh?
Have you seen what that stuff does? Totally not trustworthy. And don’t get me started on lollipops!
Lollipops are ok because you only need three licks to get to the center.
Oh, Mr Owl, lick me next!
Reminds me of the ‘radioactive eagle scout’, because while he was attempting to build his breeder reactor from old radioactive material - including clock paint from antique clocks - his ‘big score’ was that he found an almost full bottle of radium paint in the back of a clock.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn
Nb: I believe that story is from Ken Silverstein’s book about him, its not in the Wiki article.
Jesus that wiki article got real sad, real quick. From a promising potential career and boundless curiosity to dead at 39 from drug abuse with paranoid schizophrenia. Don’t tinker with radioactive elements without a proper understanding of required safety procedures and maximum exposure levels, folks.
Also, proper understanding of the safety procedures won’t protect you. You have to actually apply them. Don’t ask me how I found it.
Ouch. Didn’t need to be reminded of young women’s jaws rotting off.
Wait hold on…
Edit: what the f#ck
My grandma was a wristwatch factory worker. She does not glow, unfortunately.
