Radium Dial Painting (1917-1920s)
Young women used “lip, dip, paint” techniques with radium-infused paint on watch dials. Companies hired them for their dexterity and lower wages. These “Radium Girls” even painted their teeth to surprise boyfriends with glowing smiles. Jawbones later disintegrated in their mouths. Fatal cancers followed. Their suffering eventually forced workplace safety reforms, but only after legal battles against corporations that concealed known radiation dangers.
