Radium: A Radioactive Tragedy

Marie and Pierre Curie processed tons of pitchblende to isolate a single gram of radium chloride that glowed faintly in the dark. Consumers embraced radium watches, water, and cosmetics before the dangers of radiation registered. The Radium Girls, factory workers poisoned by luminous paint, won landmark court victories that birthed modern workplace safety law. Radium later treated tumors, its rays aimed at last toward healing..

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