The Radium Girls

Ordinary women in the United States during the 1920s. All they dream of is a chance to shine. One truly must be careful what they wish for...

The first thing we asked was: "Can it hurt us?" They told us: "No." Mr. Savoy said it wasn't dangerous and there was no cause for concern.

The year is 1917. As war rages across the globe, young American women flock to work, applying a special radium-based glowing substance to watches and military dials. The work is fun, lucrative, and glamorous, and the girls themselves glow brightly in the dark, covered from head to toe in particles of the paint. These are the Radium Girls.

As the years pass, the women begin to suffer from mysterious and devastating illnesses. The very thing that gave their lives rhythm—their work—is, in fact, slowly killing them. The radium paint has poisoned them. Despite this, their employers refuse to take any responsibility. And so, facing death, these brave women refuse to accept their fate in silence and instead choose to fight for justice.

Drawing on previously unpublished sources, including diaries, letters, and court transcripts, as well as authentic interviews with the women's relatives, The Radium Girls is an intimate chronicle of an unforgettable true story. A harrowing tale of a group of ordinary women living in the "Roaring Twenties" who must do whatever it takes to make their voices heard.