The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women

Only weeks before the final case’s verdict is delivered, World War II begins, leading once again to high demand for radium-painted watches and other instruments. This time, however, safety standards are introduced in industrial radium facilities in a direct response to these court cases.

The radium-dial painters were directly responsible for more cautious treatment around radioactive materials and more stringent guidelines for workplace safety. As the radium era ends, World War II is beginning, and the atom bomb is tested as part of the Manhattan Project. As the fine dust settled over crops, the public becomes very concerned, having recently been exposed to the disturbing story of the radium girls.

Efforts begin to locate radium workers of the twenties, who are considered vital to scientific research on the effects of radioactive materials on the human body. Many of them participate in these studies gratefully, happy to contribute to science.

The dial-painters’ cases also lead, through legislation, to the formation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which ensures workplace safety in the United States. They also lead President Kennedy to sign the Limited Test Ban Treaty, outlawing atomic testing “above ground, underwater, and in outer space” (474).

Many of the women die, with only some receiving payout from USRC and Radium Dial.