Carter Roy
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Eventually, her teeth start falling out on their own.
Instead of healing, painful ulcers bloom in the empty sockets.
The infection spreads to her jaw.
One day, her dentist gently prods what remains of Molly's jawbone.
To his horror, it breaks apart in his fingers.
He removes it, not through surgery, but simply by lifting it out of her mouth.
On September 12th, 1922, Molly Mejia bleeds to death from a massive hemorrhage.
She's 24 years old.
Her death certificate lists the cause as syphilis.
Now, Molly isn't an isolated case.
She's just the first.
Over the next two years, more women get sick.
Same symptoms, loose teeth, aching jaws, bones that won't heal.
By 1924, 50 women who worked at the Orange factory are severely ill.
12 have died.
Dentists are noticing patterns.
Families are demanding answers.
USRC is at a crossroads.
They can admit the paint is poisoning their workers, or they can protect the factory.
The question is, which matters more to them?