Radium Dial Company
| Industry | Radium paint, radioactive materials |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1917 |
| Fate | Dissolved |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Joseph A. Kelly Sr. |
Number of employees | 1000+ (1925) |
| Parent | Standard Chemical Company |
The Radium Dial Company was an American enterprise that specialized in applying radium-based luminous paint to clock, watch, and instrument dials. Their proprietary paint, called Luma, consisted of zinc sulfide activated with silver combined with powdered radium. Unlike the United States Radium Corporation, this company did not engage in radium processing on-site but concentrated exclusively on dial painting.
This firm is notably linked to the radium poisoning incidents involving the Radium Girls. Employees were falsely assured that the radium paint posed no health hazards and were instructed to shape brush tips by licking them. Consequently, many workers ingested significant quantities of radium and also applied the luminous paint to their fingernails, lips, and teeth to create a glowing effect. This exposure led to serious medical conditions and fatalities among the workforce.
Legal actions initiated by affected employees culminated in financial settlements after extended litigation, despite the company's repeated appeals against claims. These lawsuits were instrumental in advancing workplace safety regulations and played a role in the establishment of OSHA.
History
Established in 1917, the Radium Dial Company commenced full-scale dial painting operations by 1918 as a branch of the Standard Chemical Company based in Chicago. In 1920, it relocated to Peru, Illinois, to be in closer proximity to its primary client, Westclox clock manufacturers.
By 1922, operations shifted again to a former high school facility located at 1022 Columbus Street in Ottawa, Illinois, where the company remained until the mid-1930s. At its height around 1925, Radium Dial employed over 1,000 young female workers who produced approximately 4,300 dials each day.
Joseph A. Kelly Sr. managed the company during its closure amid ongoing legal disputes. Shortly after shutting down Radium Dial, Kelly founded Luminous Processes Inc. nearby in Ottawa, which continued manufacturing radium-based fluorescent watch dials until 1978.