2. Munitions Makers
Manufacturing ammunition and explosives, especially during wartime, exposed workers—many of them women—to deadly chemicals, toxic fumes, and catastrophic explosions. The so-called ‘canary girls’ of World War I, whose skin turned yellow from TNT exposure, symbolize the hazards faced. Events like the Silvertown explosion underscore the immense risks inherent in munitions plants. On January 19, 1917, a fire at a TNT refinery in Silvertown, East London, led to an explosion that killed 73 people and injured over 400 (londonmuseum.org.uk).
