Letters Sent to Dr. J.C. Bridge [John C. Bridge], September 2, 1925

COPY Private copy sent PJM/WM/EMS September 2nd, 1925. Dr. J. C. Bridge, H.M. Medical Inspectory of Factories, Home Office, S.W.1. Dear Sir: Referring to your recent call and inspection of our girls who are employed at luminising the figures and hands of watch and clock dials. We have been doing this work for nearly 12 years. During the War we luminised considerable quantities of various scientific instruments for the Government, such as those used on Aeroplanes, Submarines, etc., employing a staff for several years of between 40 and 50 operators. You wished to know the percentage of Radium Salts used in our Materiàl. Our Radium Luminous Material is made in ten different grades. On our own Watches and Clocks we employ only four grades according to the size of the hands or figures of the watch or clock being luminised. The highest grade we are now using on watches contains 132 microgrammes of Radium Bromide content to the Gramme of material, and the lowest grade we are now using on clock dials contains 32 microgrammes of radium bromide content. During the war, the material generally used on orders from the war office (usually termed "War Office grade" or .2) contained 200 microgrammes of radium Bromide content, and for orders from the Admiralty we employed "Admiralty Grade" or . 4 containing 400 microgrammes. You understand, doubtless, that both the material and the finished work for the Government had to pass tests at the National Physical Laboratory. Owing to a scare in the U.S.A. which has recently been exploited by the yellow press, (probably because of a temporary shortage of sensational news) there has been some recent activity in the matter of inspection of the Factories producing Radium Luminous Material and organisations applying this material for commercial purposes. We have just been infomed that on Aug.17th,Dr.F.B.Flinn with his Assistant Dr.Pedley ,accompanied by a nurse, (all from the Columbia University New York City)visited our Factory at Waterbury Connecticut, and examined all employees who have been applying Radium Material to our Watch or Clock dials there. There were 26 of these employees. An examination (which was very thorough) was made of blood,heart,teeth,mouth,throat,etc. and in all cases negative results were found, that is, there is not the slightest indication of any injury to health or body arising out of their vocation. Many of these employees have been constantly employed