by Citation News Editor
18. October 2011
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn proclaimed September 2, 2011 Radium Girls Day and dedicated a bronze monument at the site of the former Luminous Processes Building. In the 1920s and '30s, the "Radium Girls" worked for Radium Dial (later reopened under the name Luminous Processes Inc.), painting clock faces with radioactive paint. The young women were instructed to lick the brush to ensure quality. Radium Dial realized the danger of the radioactive material in 1925, but kept the information secret until seven female employees calling themselves The Society of the Living Dead brought suit against the company in 1934. It was the goal of the Society to promote awareness of the dangers of radioactive materials, as well as the need for occupational health and safety standards.
