Carter Roy

On another level, it's a story of remarkable courage.

Women like Grace Fryer and Catherine Donahue, their bodies literally falling apart, refuse to stay silent.

They fight for years against powerful corporations.

Many of them die before seeing the outcome of their lawsuits.

But perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the story is how easily it almost stays hidden.

The companies come terrifyingly close to getting away with it.

If Alice Hamilton hadn't discovered the forged report, if Raymond Berry hadn't agreed to take the case, if Elizabeth Hughes hadn't provided irrefutable scientific evidence,

How many other industrial poisonings happen that we never learn about?

How many workers die with syphilis on their death certificates when the real cause is their employer's negligence?

The Radium Girls change all of that because their cases are among the first in American history where a company is held liable for the occupational health of its employees.

It establishes something we might take for granted.

Employers have a legal responsibility for their workers' health.

Before these women, that wasn't a given.

Now, it is.

In 1970, partly as a result of the radium girl's legacy, Congress creates the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA.

Today, every worker who puts on safety goggles, every employee who reads a chemical warning label, every person who benefits from workplace safety regulations,

They owe a debt to the Radium Girls.

Thank you for listening to Conspiracy Theories.

We're here with a new episode every Wednesday.

Be sure to check us out on Instagram, at The Conspiracy Pod.