nuclear-news

How radioactive paint contaminated workers

Pappy’s Undark Girls Ghost Stories 2012 – 2014 by Lost Dutchman Ghost“…….The Radium Luminous Material Corporation used radium from carnotite ore to make luminous paint, which was sold under the brand name ‘Undark‘.  The paint was used on military watches and compasses.  Plant workers were told the product was safe and encouraged to handle the substance with their hands and mouth.  When the girls went to the clubs after work, the paint was blazon on their lips and shone brightly in the darkness.  They were very popular, but their looks could kill.

After several workers became ill with radioactive poisoning, plant workers (Grace Fryer and four others) sued for damages.  A media sensation surrounded the case of the Undark Girls.  It established several legal precedents and triggered the enactment of regulations governing labor safety standards; in addition to the historic reference of ‘provable suffering’.

Several of the plant workers died before the litigation was complete.  The company enacted safety procedures and the illness ceased.  Even after death, the bodies of the victims were so contaminated that radiation can still be detected at their grave sites, using a Geiger counter…….http://lostdutchmanghosthunters.blogspot.com.au/

January 10, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | history, radiation, Reference