Chapter 03 of 5
The Bones of Glass
The terrifying onset of 'Radium Jaw' and corporate denial.
- Internal Glow
The Silent Sabotage
While the women sparkled at night, the radium was secretly mimicking calcium. It settled into their bones, ready to emit radiation from the inside out.
- Pathology
The Great Pretender
Because radium acts like calcium, the body delivers it directly to the skeleton. Once there, it begins a lifelong bombardment of the surrounding tissue.
- Early Symptoms
The Toothache that Never Ends
It started with localized pain and loose teeth. When dentists pulled the teeth, the gums refused to heal, remaining open and weeping.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
Why did the U.S. Radium Corporation claim the workers had syphilis?
⌚ The Radium Girls: The Dark Glow of Progress
- 01The Miracle ElementThe 1920s obsession with Radium as a life-giving luxury.
- 02Lip, Dip, PaintThe daily routine of the 'Ghost Girls' and a hidden danger.
- 03The Bones of GlassThe terrifying onset of 'Radium Jaw' and corporate denial.
- 04The Living Dead SueA race against time in the legal battle of a lifetime.
- 05The Legacy of LightHow a tragic sacrifice birthed modern American labor laws.