# Understanding the Radium Girls Resolution

This is a resolution honoring the "Radium Girls"—young women and teenagers who worked in American factories starting around 1917, painting watch dials and airplane instruments with glow-in-the-dark radium paint. Most of these workers were from working-class backgrounds and came from three main factory locations: Orange, New Jersey; Ottawa, Illinois; and Waterbury, Connecticut. Their work was considered important during World War I, as soldiers relied on the glowing instruments they painted.

The tragic part of this story is that the companies knew radium was dangerous but didn't tell their workers or take safety precautions. In fact, managers actually encouraged workers to use a technique called "lip-pointing"—putting paint-covered brushes in their mouths to keep the tips sharp and moist. This caused the workers to ingest dangerous amounts of radium. Over time, many of these women developed devastating illnesses including jaw decay, cancer, anemia, bone fractures, and infertility. Some died prematurely, and many others lived with severe disabilities and chronic pain.

What makes this resolution significant is that these women fought back. They sued their employers in groundbreaking legal cases that were among the first to hold companies responsible for worker safety. Their cases led to the creation of an entirely new field of science (radiobiology) and provided the data the government used to develop safety standards for radioactive materials. This ultimately led to major workplace safety reforms that protect workers today. However, many of the Radium Girls received little or no compensation for their suffering and their contributions to science.

This resolution officially honors these women's courage and recognizes their crucial role in establishing the worker protections we have today. It's essentially Congress saying "we acknowledge what happened to you, we recognize how you changed workplace safety forever, and we remain committed to protecting workers' health and safety."

Honoring the lives and legacies of the "Radium Girls".

Payne, Donald M.

 <p>This resolution honors the Radium Girls and recognizes their contribution to the development of workplace safety laws and standards. The Radium Girls were factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from occupational exposure to radium.</p>