I appreciated astrangerhere's post as well. Thank you! It was an insightful perspective; I hadn't thought critically about the legal aspects. It's interesting how we bring our unique backgrounds/interests/experiences to readings and discussions. Like Dngrsone, I would have liked to have known more about the science. I was very interested in the long-term effects on the communities. NPR Illinois did a nice two-part series on the Radium Girls. The first part summarizes what you learn in the book, although it has some nice pictures. It is tradition to wrap a red homemade scarf around the memorial statue at Christmas. The second part covers Ottawa's clean-up efforts of the contamination which has continued into the 2000s.
http://nprillinois.org/post/radium-g...agedy#stream/0
http://nprillinois.org/post/radium-g...-contamination
There is a website for the book. It includes a page which compiles short bios of the girls, and it is quite impactful to see their names and pictures grouped together. Also interesting is the FAQ page. "Does this story have any relevance today?" includes links to similar issues which were quite eye-opening to me.
http://www.theradiumgirls.com/the-girls/4593781028