radium

Radium Girls prevented thousands of deaths when they began to take action against the questionable side effects that radium gave them. Painting radium was a luxurious job: it paid three times more than most factory jobs, workers would wear their nice dresses so they could paint on radium and would even paint their teeths for a luminescent smile. But the radium girls were unaware of the detrimental side effects of radium- managers assured the workers that radium was perfectly safe and even caused health benefits. Meanwhile, the CEOs and scientists stayed away from the toxic radium or would wear lead aprons to protect themselves. However, the girls began to show “radium jaws,” which is when the  teeth would have to be removed only to show red and yellow pus leaking out from under and the jaw bone itself can be broken off, and gradually, all of the workers died. Yet the employers denied any responsibilities for the deaths even after 2 years, and the CEO of the firm paid to have a study done that declared there was no link between radium and this mysterious illness all the workers were dying from. Finally, an independent doctor came forward with multiple studies that proved the link between the radium and the illness as well as explaining all of the various symptoms that the women were suffering from. I think this is a classic case of how capitalism rewards those who cheat the system. People need to suffer before others take note and apply for laws and bills that try to protect workers. People will do anything for money, and the bigger the benefit, the bigger the incentive. People are greedy: they want power and money and influence. And they’re selfish, they only look out for number one. People are dangerous, and in the corporate world, money is what drives you, not your morals.