'Radium Girls'—The Troubling History Of Courtroom Science Denial

On Episode 5 of the Science Dispatch Podcast, ACSH contributor Dr. Barbara Billauer recounts the tragic story of the "Radium Girls," a cohort of young women who were gradually sickened and killed by occupational radium exposure in the early 20th century. Subsequent research has shown that their employers knew the girls were at risk, but denied culpability and continuously assured them that all was well. These shocking developments changed the way we view occupational health and safety—providing the foundation for current radiation  exposure standards. Stories discussed on this episode: The Swinging Pendulum of Societal Distrust, and the Saga of Radium Poisoning Fulminating UnTruths And Legal Consequences: Societal Mutations from the Radium Poisoning Cases