David A. King, CHP, PMP

HOW THE RADIUM GIRLS CHANGED INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

December 11, 2018

Outline

• Evolution of the Radium Industry• Dial Painting in Orange, New Jersey• Dial Painting in Ottawa, Illinois• The Radium Girls’ Legacy

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Evolution of the Radium Industry

• The turn of the 20th century saw many new scientific discoveries:– X-rays, radioactivity, alpha and beta particles,

the atomic nucleus, the isolation of radium…• The mystery and excitement surrounding these

discoveries helped make radium a consumer and medicinal sensation.

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Evolution of the Radium Industry (cont’d)

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www.orau.org/ptp/collection/quackcures/quackcures.htm

Evolution of an Industry (cont’d)

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Evolution of the Radium Industry (cont’d)

• The scientific community was accumulating less favorable information. – Skin burns were observed in 1901.– A French chemist died from over-exposure to

radium in 1905.– Blood changes were noted by 1909.– Physicians knew: 1) radium could be used to

destroy cancerous tissues, and 2) radium acts like calcium and concentrates in the bone.

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Evolution of the Radium Industry (cont’d)

• These conflicting messages play a role in the story of the radium dial painters. – Publicly: radium restored vigor and

vitality, and was used to cure illnesses.– Actually: radium was used to destroy

tissue, caused radiation burns, changed the blood, and killed.

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange, New Jersey

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)• In 1913, Dr. Sabin von

Sochocky developed a self-luminous paint and sold about 2,000 radium watch dials.

• In 1915, he and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Materials Corporation in Newark, New Jersey.

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• In 1917, Radium Luminous Materials Corporation eventually settled in Orange, New Jersey.

• In 1921, the firm was reorganized as the U.S. Radium Corporation (USRC).

• USRC extracted radium from ore and managed a large dial painting studio in Orange.

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• To get brushes to an extremely fine point, workers were taught lip-pointing.

• The tip of the brush was carefully pointed in their lips before dipping in the paint, and then the dials were painted—the “lip, dip, paint routine.”

• A small amount of radium was ingested with each lip-pointing.

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Charlotte Purcell demonstrates lip-pointingChicago Daily Times / Sun-Times Media

Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• In 1921 Orange workers started to get sick. • Amelia Maggia had a troubled tooth extracted in

1921 (it never healed) and quit her job in early 1922 when her illness worsened. The surrounding tissue was soon so deteriorated that her dentist eventually removed her entire jawbone "not by an operation, but merely by putting his fingers in her mouth and lifting it out."

• Maggia’s official 1922 cause of death: ulcerative stomatitis and complications from syphilis.

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• Helen Quinlin suffered from a chronic sore throat and swollen face in 1921. Treatment for aching teeth and ulcerated gums continued to fail until her death in June 1923. Official cause of death: anemia with complications from trench mouth and pneumonia.

• Irene Rudolph started having troubles in the spring of 1922, including inflammation, soreness, tooth extractions, and rotting bone—she died in July 1923. Official cause of death: phosphorous poisoning.

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• In late 1922 the New Jersey Department of Labor investigated jaw necrosis cases at Orange. Phosphorous poisoning was suspected.

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Report by M. Szamatolski, PhD. January 30, 1923As far as I know, luminous compounds do not contain any phosphorusbut are compounds of zinc, sodium…and about 1/100 of a percent radium… As you know, radium has a very violent action on the skin and it is my belief that the serious condition of the jaw has been caused by the influence of radium…I would suggest that every operator be warned…of the dangers of getting this material on the skin or in the system, especially into the mouth, and that they be forced to use the utmost cleanliness…

Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• This was followed by a three 1924/25 studies:1. Dr. Cecil Drinker’s team investigated five cases of jaw

necrosis: concluded cause is exposure to radium.2. The Consumers’ League of New Jersey engaged

statistician Frederick Hoffman to study four fatalities and eight illnesses: concluded cause is radium, especially when associated with lip-pointing.

3. Chief medical examiner Dr. Harrison S. Martland expands Hoffman’s study and publishes, “Some Unrecognized Dangers in the Use and Handling of Radioactive Substances.”

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• Health problems and bad press precluded USRC from maintaining a sufficient workforce, so the Orange facility was closed in 1926.

• URSC hired it’s Dr. Frederick Flinn, who published “Radioactive Material: An Industrial Hazard?” stating that jaw necrosis only existed at Orange:– “…these cases are by no means clear cut…” – “As a matter of fact, these five cases reported were

complicated by syphilis, joint trouble, and Vincent’s angina.”

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• In 1927 “five doomed women” sue USRC for health damages under the state’s compensation act.– Problem 1: the state’s statute of limitations.– Problem 2: the state’s compensation act did

not specifically address radium poisoning.• The statute of limitations was 2 years.• The state legislation later added radium necrosis

to the compensation act.

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

The fact that we settled these suits in no way is indicative of the merits of the complainants [sic] contentions, or that we admit responsibility or liability. From a legal aspect there is very little question but that we had a perfect defense, both from the standpoint of the Statute of Limitations and from the fact that there was no negligence on our part…

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• The cases were settled out of court in 1928. • USRC did not have to claim responsibility. From

the USRC president in 1928:

Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• Other events in 1928:• Dr. Sabin von Sochocky, the person primarily responsible

for the expanding the use of radioluminous products in the United States, dies of radium poisoning.

• Dr. Finn publishes a paper concluding “radioactive material is at the bottom of the trouble even if the mechanism by which it is caused is not altogether clear and not previously suspected.”

• The Radium Dial Company publishes a full-page advertisement in Ottawa, Illinois’ local newspaper denying any health problems due to luminous paints.

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Radium Dial Painting in Ottawa

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Radium Dial Company facility in Ottawa in 1925.

Radium Dial Painting in Ottawa (cont’d)

• The first Ottawa dial painter died in 1927. The cause of death was listed a streptococcus septicaemia.

• A second Ottawa dial painter died in 1928, and more dial painters were getting sick.

• Several Ottawa dial painters sued Radium Dial in 1934 claiming violations under the state’s Occupation Disease Act.

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

• In 1935, Radium Dial successfully argued the Act was unconstitutional and had the cases dismissed.

• In 1936, a new act was passed by the legislature and signed into law, making all industrial diseases compensable.

• Also in 1936, Radium Dial closed the plant in Ottawa and moved operations to New York City.

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Radium Dial Painting in Orange (cont’d)

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The Radium Girls’ Legacy

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The only advantage out of this terrible mess has been, as usual, to the legal profession.

Dr. Harrison S. Martland, chief medical examiner of Essex County, New Jersey (1929)

The Radium Girls’ Legacy (cont’d)

• In a study of 1,301 women first employed before 1930 (the early group), 85 deaths from radium-induced malignancies were observed.

• The same study of 1,242 first employed from 1930-1949 (the late group) identified no radium-induced malignancies. – Why the difference?

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The Radium Girls’ Legacy (cont’d)

• The Radium Girls in Orange are considered the first publicly known persons to receive compensation for injuries from handling radioactive substances.

• The dial painters’ cases were the first in which an employer was made responsible for the health of the company’s employees.

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The Radium Girls’ Legacy (cont’d)

• Glenn Seaborg, a leading scientist on the Manhattan Project, wrote that he had a vision of the Radium Girls, and therefore insisted on research into the materials being used. This research led to non-negotiable safety guidelines.

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The Radium Girls’ Legacy (cont’d)

• The two pivotal lawsuits would improve labor safety standards, establish workers’ compensation laws, and, ultimately, lay the groundwork for organizations like Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

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Thank You