Someone lent over the glowing coffin and pulled a silver nameplate from the rotten wood. In fact, women exposed to ionizing radiation during childhood suffer from cancer at a rate 10 times higher than predicted by traditional [male] models used by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, according to Mary Olson, a biologist at the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS). Thanks for your help! The disease slowly ate its way through her jugular vein. Make sure that the file is a photo. Check out. Reporting on what you care about. Popular Science is delighted to bring you selections from new and noteworthy science-related books. The Disturbing Story of the Radium Girls Who Glowed in the Dark jaw aches. Before his early death from cancer, the entire lower half of his face fell off as a result of his exposure to the deadly radioactive material. Catherine and her friends were shunned by their community for suing one of the few firms left standing. But in the year prior, Mollies jaw had been removed after it began to break apart, she developed anemia, and her mouth would not stop bleeding. "The Radium Water Worked Just Fine Until his Jaw Came Off" The Forgotten Story Of The Radium Girls, Whose Deaths Saved Thousands On September 12, 1922, the strange infection that had plagued Mollie Maggia for less than a year spread to the tissues of her throat. Drawing on the womens own words from their diaries, letters, and court testimonies, my new book, The Radium Girls, attempts to redress the balance because it was through their strength, suffering, and sacrifice that workers rights were won. Marie Curies work with radioactivity in the early 20th century had partly revolved around the search for possible medical applications for the new discovery. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. At 5 p.m. that day, her mouth was flooded with blood as she hemorrhaged so fast that her nurse could not staunch it. And there was an altruistic motive to their battle after all, dial painters were still being employed all across the United States. Need more creepiness in your life? Prudently, Berry had arranged for a special investigator to be present for the mornings activities; he now watched the company men closely as they milled outside the tent. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. The horrific story of the Radium girls | by Dani Hendrix | True Horror I wanted to test that theory, which is how I ended up in the middle of a snow-covered, historic cemetery in New Jersey, waving a bright orange, handheld Geiger counter over the graves of Mollie Maggia and Quinta McDonald. Amelia "Mollie" Maggia was just in her early 20s, and never before had dental problems. Outraged at the implications and financial ramifications of this study, USRC did something modern readers are familiar with from dealing with tobacco and big oil companies: they paid for another study that found what they wanted to find, that swallowing radioactive paint is good for you. the worse Mollie became: the worse her teeth were, and the ulcers, and her gums. memorial page for Amelia Malia "Mollie" Maggia (21 Dec 1896-12 Sep 1922), Find a Grave Memorial ID 99916653, citing Rosedale Cemetery . By May, the dentist concluded that surgery was needed to remove excessive growth in Mollie's jaw. The Disturbing Precedent behind Dangerous COVID Shots The terms of the settlement specified that they were each to be awarded $10,000, in addition to $600 per year for life. On the morning of 15 October 1927, a dim, autumn day, a group of men foregathered at the Rosedale cemetery in New Jersey and picked their way through the headstones to the grave of one Amelia 'Mollie' Maggia. The radium girls case was one of the first in which an employer was made responsible for the health of the companys employees. The initial effects of radium seemed harmless, and the substance was popular amongst the younger girls in the factory. On her death certificate, it originally listed that she died of syphilis, as radium poisoning had not yet been discovered. This photo appeared in a 1938 newspaper, with the caption "Her left arm gone as result of radium poisoning, Charlotte Purcell demonstrates how doomed radium workers pointed brush tips for painting luminous watch dials, thus contracting dread disease. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. She died at the age of 24. Byers became infamous when he developed "Radithor jaw," a disease brought on by the ingestion of radium. The factory refused to accept responsibility. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. We need your email address to send you trip itineraries and other updates. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. There were thirteen officials in all, gathered together to witness Mollies exhumation. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Please try signing in with another option or create a new account with Roadpass.