Episode 35: The Radium Girls

In the early days after the discovery of a radioactive isotope with the apparent ability to treat cancer, radioactivity became the big new health craze. Before there was kale, before there were cleanses and colonics, there was Radium, and we put it in everything from chocolate to lipstick. Radium had another fascinating property: it glowed in the dark, which led to its use on compasses, airplane instruments, and watches. The working class women who painted those watches were happy to have glamorous jobs working with a rare, prestigious element like radium, right until their teeth started falling out. Join us this week as Jessica and Janel talk about radium sickness, workers rights, and exactly how much Jeff Bezos and David "Avocado" Wolfe need to go fuck themselves.