radium girls presentation slides

1. Dark
end
of
shinning
women

2. Radium

3. In cancer treatment
• Soon after discovery of
radium its application in
field of cancer treatment
was studied
• It was seen that cancerous
tumors would shrink if
they were exposed to
radium salt .
• So if its useful in cancer
treatment so it doesn’t
mean that it is good for
everything.

4. Radium use after its discovery
Used in water
Used in make up
Used in different medicines
Used as disinfectant
Used in milk
Used in butter
Biggest mis concept
Radium products were advertised as
their use can increase their life span.
From watches to tooth pastes.
In every house hold item.

5. Radium watches and world war 1
• 1n 1902 French chemist
combined radium with different
materials give off luminous paint.
• Later applied to clocks and their
dials would glow in dark.
• Branded as “un dark”.
• In 1915 “95% of all radium
produced in America was to given
for to manufacture of radium
paint for use in military watches.
• It helped soldiers to see time in
dark .

6. The dial painters
• During 1917-1926 more than 4000
young women were appointed as
dial painters.
• It was an ideal job for women during
war time because they were painting
watches for the soldiers at the war
and women were getting paid more
than other jobs too.
• This was considered to be most ideal
and beneficial because at that time
radium was considered as “elixir of
life”.

7. Americas shinning women
• Girls were trained
to tip the brush
with their lips
• The girls were
used to paint
their finger nails
and teeth so that
they glow in dark .
• The company told
them that the
paint is
completely safe.

8. Health consequences
• High exposure to
radium caused
health
consequences
• It all started with
tooth ache and
later on radium
exposure took
lives of innocent
workers

9. Dark end of America’s shinning women
• The upper
management wore lead
screens and masks to
avoid radium exposure.
• In 1928 when girls
appeared in court they
were bedridden
• Due to high pressure on
court and lawyers by
USRC the court
postponed the case.
Statement given by manufacturers

10. Dark end of America’s shinning women
• More than 1200 workers died
due to high exposure of radium
• Dead bodies of Radium girls
were placed in lead coffins.
• Graves of radium girls are still
radioactive.
• Bodies of radium girls would be
glowing in graves.
• In 1960s radium was officially
declared hazardous to health