Sunday Related Post: The Living Dead: The Radium Women

Back around 1919, women were hired to paint glow in the dark pain on watches and other devices where glow in the dark paint would be useful. It turns out the paint had radium in it, a highly radioactive substance. Apparently the women were "pointing" their brushes with their lips, and eating some of the paint. A year or so later, they all developed horrible illness and started dying. On top of that, they were experimented on in medical studies without proper consent until 1990.

via bifurcated rivets

More info at: springerlink.com/
(Click on the pic to check out images of the original newspaper stories!)