Radioactive Education

Every time I read a historical fiction or nonfiction book, I learn so much about bits and pieces of our country's history that I never knew existed. Today, I learned about the Radium Girls.

Ever heard of them? I went to the Lincoln High School play with my friend Cindy since she knew the lead character and at least one other. It was a gloomy winter's day, so what better than a few hours of entertainment – and education!

Here's what I can tell you about the Radium Girls in general. And this is from other sources than Robyn-pedia since there is a book and movie about them besides the play adaption we saw today):

The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. The women had been told the paint was harmless, and subsequently ingested deadly amounts of radium after being told to "point" their brushes on their lips in order to give them a fine tip; some also painted their fingernails, face and teeth with the glowing substance.

As shared in the play today, the women were instructed to point their brushes because using rags, or a water rinse, caused them to waste too much time and waste too much of the material. Plus they needed to get these watches to soldiers so they could see at night, etc.

Some of the Radium Girls started developing symptoms like fatigue and toothaches. The first death occurred in 1922, when a girl died after reportedly enduring a year of pain. Although her death certificate erroneously stated that she died of syphilis, she was actually suffering from a condition called "radium jaw." Her entire lower jawbone had become so brittle that her doctor removed it by simply lifting it out. Gross, right?

In 1925 Grace Fryer, one of the workers from the original New Jersey plant who was the main character in the play, decided to sue. Her fight made front-page news around the world in 1927 and made for an interesting story for the play. Seriously, sad, scary, but interesting stuff.

Of course it really didn't have a happy ending when people are dying from radiation poisoning. In fact, the last scene left both Cindy and I speechless. Mainly because the lumps in our throats were so big we didn't know if we were going to start sobbing! Think about it. Emotional stuff.

So glad we went. Well done, kids!

Of course, then I come home and learn Kobe Bryant and his daughter were among several killed in a helicopter crash. Thinking about his wife losing both a husband and daughter just opened that dam I was holding back. Dang.

Like I often say: Count your blessings and hug 'em if they're nearby!