Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory

radium_girls

1926, USA. The Great Gatsby comes out on film, Winnie the Pooh is published, aerosol spray is invented and the recently discovered radium is a miracle cure. It is reported to potentially cure mental illness, gout, rheumatism, even cancer. It is added to toothpaste and face cream and it is said one glass a day of radioactive water will keep your sex life vigorous! But in a factory in East Orange, where watch faces are painted by hand with luminous radium paint, the young women dial painters are beginning to die. Based on the true story of the women and men who worked for the Radium Corporation in East Orange New Jersey, Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory examines the ethics behind experimental science and profit margins and the extent to which America’s desire for innovation can outweigh the danger to it’s very heart and soul.