In the 1920’s, a working-class woman could land a job working with the miracle substance, radium. Radium wristwatches were manufactured in America, and the U.S. Radium Corporation was hiring dial people to paint glow-in-the-dark tiny numbers onto watch faces. They became known as the ‘radium girls.’

The Unknown Killer

In 1924, a woman named Mae Keane was hired at a factory in Waterbury, Connecticut. The brushes would lose shape after a few strokes, so the supervisors encouraged the dial painters to shape their brushes to a fine point with their lips, producing the sharp tip needed to paint the tiny numbers and lines of watch dials and the lacy designs of fashionable clocks. The workers, who had been told the paint was harmless, ingested deadly amounts of radium by licking their paintbrushes. After just a few days at the factory, the boss asked Mae if she’d like to quit since she clearly didn’t like the work. She agreed.

Radium Paint Poisoning

Other women weren’t so lucky. By the mid-1920s, dial painters were falling ill by the dozens, afflicted with horrific diseases. Many were still in their 20s when they died of cancer from radiation poisoning. Others succumbed later and to other health problems related to radium exposure. They suffered from anemia and bone fractures. Many lost their teeth; some also lost their jawbones. In all, by 1927, more than 50 women had died as a direct result of radium paint poisoning.

Mae Keane was among the hundreds who survived. Over the years, she had some health problems – bad teeth, migraines, two bouts with cancer. There is no way to know if her time in the factory contributed to her health. Mae Keane died in 2014. At 107 years old, she was the last of the ‘radium girls.’ Had Mrs. Keane stayed longer, she might have become one of the many sad stories involving the so-called ‘radium girls,’ the hundreds of young women who worked with radium paint in factories early in the 20th century.

Lung Cancer

Scientists have long been concerned about the health risks of radon, the radioactive gas that comes from radium, but never before has there been such overwhelming proof that exposure to elevated levels of radon causes lung cancer in humans. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that radon is responsible for more than 21,000 lung cancer deaths per year in the United States. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the U.S. after smoking and the leading cause of lung cancer among non-smokers.

Invisible But Deadly

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is invisible, odorless, and tasteless. Radon gas is produced from the natural breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. Radon gas moves through the ground into the air and travels into your home through gaps, cracks, and holes in the foundation. It can also enter through the water supply of your home. Once radon gas is in your home, it can build up to dangerous levels. The hotspots are usually in basements and garages. Approximately 1 out of every 15 homes in the United States has increased levels of radon.

National Radon Action Month

January is National Radon Action Month, and it’s a good time to test your home. Testing is the only method to detect the level of radon in your home. If a home has not been tested for radon in the past two years, the EPA and the U.S. Surgeon General recommend taking immediate action.

Steps for Testing Your Home:

1. Obtain a short-term radon test kit. Use a short-term radon test kit for the fastest way to test for radon in your home.
2. Conduct the radon test. Keep the windows and outside doors closed throughout the entire test. Otherwise, it will be an invalid test. Normal entry and exit are allowed as long as the doors are shut once a person has entered or exited. Place it on the lowest lived-in level of your house.
3. Interpreting test results. At the conclusion of the radon test, follow the kit instructions on how and where to send the test. Radon is measured in picocuries per liter (pCi/L) of air. If the result of your test reveals that you have a radon level of 4 pCi/L or higher, either a long-term test or a second short-term test should be conducted to verify the results.
4. If levels continue to read 4 pCi/L or greater after further testing, a radon mitigation system will need to be installed in your home by a qualified professional. Numerous methods exist for reducing radon levels in your home. The EPA recommends that a post-mitigation test be performed within 30 days of the installation of your radon reduction system.

When Results Remain High

If levels continue to read 4 pCi/L or greater after further testing, a radon mitigation system will need to be installed in your home by a qualified professional. Methods to reduce radon exist for all types of homes: basements, no basements, crawl spaces, mixed foundations, walk-out basements, etc. The EPA recommends that a post-mitigation test be performed within 30 days of the installation of your radon reduction system.

More information on radon can be found by visiting radonmonth.org or at www.epa.gov/radon.

Find out if you are at risk for radon exposure this month!