Radium Girls by, D.W. Gregory (2007)

Underneath the sleepy suburbs of Orange, New Jersey, USA, lies a unique site in the history of labour rights and the understanding of radioactive materials. For it was in a factory here in the 1920s that almost hundred young women were slowly poisoned to death with radium.

Grace Fryer started working in the spring of 1917 with 70 other women in a large, dusty room filled with long tables.

Racks of dials waiting to be painted sat next to each woman's chair. The workers mixed glue, water and radium powder together and applied the glowing paint onto the racks of dials with camel hair brushes. The brushes would lose their shape after a few strokes, so the women pointed them with their lips to keep them sharp. The women painted their nails, teeth and faces with the radium paint for entertainment when the lights went out. The factory was so full of radium dust that the women's skin and hair glowed by the time they left work. "Not to worry," their bosses said; "If you swallow any radium, it'll make your cheeks rosy."

US Radium denied that the women were suffering from radium exposure. A campaign of disinformation was started by the company; following pressure by the corporation, doctors attributed workers' deaths to other causes.

Syphilis was often blamed in an attempt to tarnish the reputations of the women. Meanwhile, the owners and the scientists of US Radium — familiar with the element's effects — carefully avoided any exposure to themselves, using lead screens, masks and tongs around the material. Like other factory workers at that time, the 'Radium Girls' were expendable.

Grace Fryer decided to sue US radium in 1925. Grace had quit the factory in 1920 for a better job as a bank teller. But in 1922, her teeth started falling out and her jaw developed a painful abscess. The hazel eyes that had charmed her friends now clouded with pain. She consulted a series of doctors, but none had seen a problem like it. X -ray photos of her mouth and back showed the development of serious bone decay.

Finally, in July 1925, one doctor suggested that the problems might have been caused by her former occupation.

It took Grace two years to find a lawyer willing to take on US Radium.

Grace and her fellow workers had some success in their battle against US Radium. The company — despite never admitting responsibility — paid the workers a combined settlement of over $20,000.

All this, however, was too late for the Grace and her colleagues; all five women were dead by the 1930s. Their deaths changed labour laws and views on radioactivity forever.

(http://www.downtoearth.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20051115&filename=news...­6&page=2&sec_id=50)

Radium Girls
Huntington University Theatre Company
MCA Studio Theatre
Thursday Feb 7, 2008 (7:30)
Friday Feb 8, 2008 (7:30)
Saturday Feb 9, 2008 (2:00 & 7:30)
(http://www.huntington.edu/mca/theatre.htm)

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• kristen
• kohaut
• radium
• girls
• grace
• fryer

[elizabeth59chandler]

Here's the sick trick I heard about. Anyone can connvert this video to mp3 and download at grabaudionow..com. Yup!

[Sun4Niebieskieoczy]

Despicable behaviour by the US Radium personnel - I hope their descendants learn that and realize that they have blood of innocent American Citizens on their hands.

[Renew3D]

You won my subscription. :)

[mountainGOATS444]

im playing markley and vonsoshockey in my schools performance

[Bway2be]

Very good job! I'm going to audition for this at my school tomorrow, and I'm very excited. Your excellent job with this monologue has given me inspiration!

[nevet91]

ive heard about the radium girls before but i didnt know it was also a play... good acting btw...

:D

[rideswithastorm]

SUPERB ACTING.. 5*****

BRAVO!!!

The next HOUSEHOLD WORD:

Kristen Lynne.

Particularly loved the final 10 seconds..very touching!!

[kristenlynne0505]

hey thanks. we did the show in feb, it went well. and yes it's a true story, very upsetting. i'm glad your school is doing it, i hope it goes well for you. let me know if you ever want to talk about grace - it's a great role.

[princesspeach0809]

I liked it. We're doing Radium Girls at my school and I'm playing Grace. I'm very excited. You did a good job (if only you had a tom haha) But very nice work. The show should be awesome! My drama instructor informed us about how it was real people that this happened to and the nasty details. Its so sad and I'm very happy that we get to show the world the injustice that happened.

:)

Good Job once again. How was the show? I'm assuming you did it lol

[princesspeach0809]

So I like this. We're doing Radium Girls at my school and I'm playing Grace! I

m very excited it's gonna be good. This is one of my favorite scenes. You preformed it well (just if you had a tom to read the lines haha) But I liked it. Good job!