On this episode of Our American Stories, at the dawn of the twentieth century, radium was hailed as a miracle of modern science. Factories across the country began hiring young women to paint watch dials and instrument panels that lit up in the dark. It was considered a respectable, even glamorous job. No one warned them that the glow they wore on their skin and teeth came with a deadly cost.

Kate Moore, author of Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women, brings to life the story of the women who unknowingly poisoned themselves while doing their jobs. In time, their fight for justice helped build the foundation of modern workplace safety and occupational health standards across the United States.

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