The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. After being told that the p

The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. After being told that the paint was harmless, ... instructed to "point" their brushes on their lips in order to give them a fine tip... The women were instructed to point their brushes in this way because using rags or a water rinse caused them to use more time and material, as the paint was made from powdered radium, gum arabic and water. ... The right of individual workers to sue for damages from corporations due to labor abuse was established as a result of the Radium Girls case. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium_Girls