Menendez Leads Colleagues in Introducing Senate Resolution to Honor the Lives and Legacy of the "Radium Girls"

Press Release

U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was joined by Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal, (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) in introducing a Senate Resolution to honor the lives and legacy of the young women who worked in factories using radium-infused paint in the early twentieth century. Many of these workers, also known as "Radium Girls," developed severe -- and often fatal -- illnesses as a consequence of exposure to the harmful element. Rep. Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-N.J.-10) introduced a companion resolution in the House of Representatives.

"A century after the first "Radium Girls' started working in factories in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois we stand today to recognize their plight and the contributions of these courageous women to modern workplace safety standards," said Sen. Menendez. "Their determination in seeking justice continues to inspire Americans fighting for better workplace conditions and higher safety standards that put workers' health and wellbeing above corporate greed."

"This resolution honors the Radium Girls' determined, relentless fight for justice throughout the 20th century. After being deceived and misled about the risks to their health and safety, hundreds of workers -- including many working in Waterbury -- suffered mysterious health complications and even died," said Sen. Blumenthal. "The Radium Girls' efforts to hold corporations accountable for their callous, uncaring treatment of their employees paved the way for future workplace safety standards -- saving the lives of countless others. We honor their memory by continuing to fight for the safety and rights of workers everywhere."

"The 'Radium Girls' laid a strong foundation for the workers' rights movement when they stood up against the irresponsibly low safety standards they worked under. It took tremendous courage to put unjust workplace conditions and employers on trial and to go through the medical hardship resulting from laboring in factories using radium," said Sen. Durbin. "Today, we honor their sacrifice that led to advancements in medical technology and research and in ensuring a safe work environment. We must carry on the legacy of the 'Radium Girls' by pursuing healthy workplace conditions and holding employers accountable."

Starting in 1917, Radium Girls worked in factories painting watch dials and airplane instruments with glow-in-the-dark, radium-infused paint. The majority of them worked in Orange, N.J., Waterbury, Conn., and Ottawa, Ill.
The Radium Girls' employers did not warn them about the dangers of radium-infused paint. In fact, many early dial painters ingested extremely dangerous quantities of radium because their managers trained them to put their paintbrushes in their mouths to keep the tips pointed. Many later developed terrible and often fatal illnesses, including necrosis of the jaw and cancer. When some of them sued the radium corporations, their stories received national attention. One of their cases was among the first in which the courts held an employer responsible for the safety and health of its workers.

Many of the surviving Radium Girls volunteered to participate in scientific studies on the effects of radium on the human body, leading to the creation of the new scientific field of human radiobiology. The Federal Government later relied on data from the Radium Girls' cases to develop safety standards for radium and other radioactive materials for factory workers, medical personnel, and scientists, including the workers and scientists of the Manhattan Project.

Grace Fryer and two of the other workers in Orange, N.J. sitting along the Wigwam Brook in July, 1918.
Photo credit: Mr. Arthur Fryer.

"The legacy of the Radium Girls continues to this day, benefiting us all, but for too long these special women were forgotten, their sacrifice and courage alike lost to history. I am beyond thrilled that at last they are being recognized through this resolution, and that their incredible fight for justice - and all they achieved against the odds - will be celebrated and honored. May they rest in peace," said Kate Moore. Moore is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Radium Girls, which brought renewed attention to the young women's legacy.

"After reading Kate Moore's enlightening book we come to realize that instead of being objects of pity, Grace Fryer and the 'Radium Girls' are symbols of how suffering and struggle can be turned, through determination and perseverance, into accomplishment and legacy," said Arthur Fryer of Cedar Grove, New Jersey. Mr. Fryer is the great-nephew of Ms. Grace Fryer who began working at the U.S. Radium Corporation when she was just 18 years old and later became a leader in the New Jersey "Radium Girls'" fight for justice.

"This resolution is important because it recognizes the profound impact that the Radium Girls had on the development of safety laws and standards. While their lives were tragically short-lived, the resolution further cements their legacy and honors their contributions to worker safety and the scientific knowledge of the health risks of radioactivity," said Chris Martland. Mr. Martland is the great-grandson of Dr. Harrison Stanford Martland, a pioneering New Jersey physician who became a critical advocate for New Jersey's "Radium Girls."

The text of the resolution can be found here and below.

Whereas Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium in 1898, sparking a craze for radium-infused consumer goods in the early 20th century;
Whereas many entrepreneurs touted radium's supposedly limitless curative properties, even as some scientists began to report serious health hazards associated with the element;
Whereas the "Radium Girls" were teenaged girls and young women who, starting in 1917, worked in United States factories painting watch dials and airplane instruments using glow-in-the-dark, radium-infused paint;
Whereas the early Radium Girls painted watches and instruments that United States troops relied on during World War I;
Whereas the majority of the Radium Girls worked for corporations located in Orange, New Jersey, Ottawa, Illinois, and Waterbury, Connecticut;
Whereas the Radium Girls primarily came from working-class backgrounds and some were first- and second-generation Americans;
Whereas, in several instances, the radium corporations' leadership knew that the element could be harmful to human health, but they did not inform the Radium Girls of the risks or implement basic safety standards;
Whereas, in many cases, the radium corporations' management encouraged the Radium Girls to keep their paintbrush tips moist and as fine as possible by putting the paint-covered brushes between their lips, a technique known as "lip-pointing";
Whereas, due to lip-pointing, many of the early Radium Girls ingested extremely harmful quantities of radium;
Whereas the Radium Girls breathed in radium-infused dust and touched radium-infused paint, and they often glowed by the end of the workday due to the radioactive paint on their clothes and skin;
Whereas many of the Radium Girls began to experience mysterious health problems, including necrosis (rotting) of the jaw, cancer, anemia, bone fractures, and infertility;
Whereas many of the Radium Girls were eventually plagued by debilitating physical pain and severe disabilities;
Whereas an unknown number of the approximately 4,000 Radium Girls died prematurely or experienced the devastating health effects of radium poisoning;
Whereas some physicians and dentists initially dismissed the Radium Girls' hypothesis that their illnesses were linked to their occupations;
Whereas, in some cases, the radium corporations conspired with members of the medical community to conceal the origins of the Radium Girls' illnesses and smear their reputations;
Whereas a number of the Radium Girls, in different States, fought to secure justice for themselves, their families, and their colleagues by suing the radium corporations;
Whereas the Radium Girls' difficult and prolonged legal battles and often horrific medical conditions drew national attention;
Whereas some of the Radium Girls who challenged the radium corporations were shunned by their communities for harming the reputation of a prominent local employer;
Whereas many of the surviving Radium Girls volunteered to participate in scientific studies on the effects of radium on the human body;
Whereas investigations of the Radium Girls' illnesses led to the creation of the new scientific field of human radiobiology;
Whereas the Federal Government relied on data from the Radium Girls' cases to develop safety standards for radium and other radioactive materials for factory workers, medical personnel, and scientists, including the workers and scientists of the Manhattan Project;
Whereas some of the Radium Girls and their families received either no compensation or only meager compensation related to their harmful exposure to radium and their contributions to science;
Whereas the Radium Girls' highly publicized case was among the first in which the courts held an employer responsible for the safety and health of its workers;
Whereas the Radium Girls' struggle for justice was a turning point in the movement to protect workers' safety and ultimately spurred Congress to enact critical occupational health reforms; and
Whereas many workers in the United States today are still fighting for a safe and equitable workplace: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) honors the Radium Girls and their determination to seek justice in the face of overwhelming obstacles;
(2) recognizes the invaluable contributions of the Radium Girls to developing modern workplace safety laws and standards; and
(3) reaffirms the commitment of the Federal Government to protecting the health and safety of all workers in the United States.

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