Radium Girls
Emma Kamionka
Radium has harsh effects on our bodies and the environment, and the young women in the early 1920s show proof of this. With that, Radium-paint- ed luminescent dye watch dials caused illnesses in young women, leading to lawsuits and compensation for women’s rights. Marie Curie was a world-renowned scientist who specialized in physics, chemistry, and medicine. Curie is the only woman to win two Nobel prizes in science and also coined the term “radioactivity” after she and her husband Pierre Curie discovered radium in 1898 (Abergel, Rebecca, et al. 267–75). She utilized radiation in cancer treatments and developed mobile X-ray and radiation therapy units for World War 1 medical uses. Radon therapy was an ailment
October 25, 1922 advertisement Free Trader-Journal and Ottawa Fair Dealer
to reduce joint pain, skin problems, respiratory illnesses, and allergies. Moreover, in some cases, it is still used today to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoim - mune diseases. Unfortunately, her death was due to aplastic anemia thought to be produced by an exceeding amount of radiation exposure. Inspiringly, Curie’s work is said to be attributed to women’s contributions and rights in the field of science in order to decrease barriers and prejudices towards female workers. Radium was later combined with paint to create a luminescent dye for airplanes and watch dials to see the time in the dark. Women, usually young, would ingest the dye unknowing of the risks. Radium is similar to calcium in that it targets the bones but in a negative way. In addition, too much exposure can lead to several health problems including but not limited to various cancers like bone, multiple myeloma, leukemia, breast, and lung cancer. Many of the bodies of the women who died from radiation are buried at the Argonne National Laboratory due to the substantial amount of radioactivity in their bodies (Abergel 267–75.) Marie Curie’s lab was built in 1933 to extract radium elements from the ores. The lab closed in 1978 but is still filled with radioactivity that can cause health threats for mil- lennia (Patel 76). Anyone who enters the building must wear protective gear because not only is it composed of dangerous chemicals, but it is also surrounded by concrete walls, barbed wire, and cameras. The town Arcueil, Paris where the lab is located now
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