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42. You are doubtless familiar with certain conditions which have been described in
the literature recently, that have been ascribed to the accumulation and retention
of radium element in the system by people employed in the application of self
luminous material to watch, clock dials, etc.
43. I assume Doctor that you are faniliar with the nethod by which the particular
girls or oporators afflicted, claim to have ingested the matorial?
44. You are probably further aware that the conditions which are ascribed to have
resulted from this type of work, were first described around 1925, and that they
were described in the light of being a new discovery?
45. In view of the facts as developed, let us say in 1925, did you then consider the
internal use of radium befraught with any immediate or possible latent hasards?
46. Did you consider that there was any analogy betwoen the ingestion of radium, such
as is claimed to have been done in the case of these girls and the administration
of radium internally under medical supervision?
47. Are you familiar with the articles by Dr. Harrison Martland, occuring in Vol. 85,
P.p. 1769, 1925, and volume 92, p.p. 466 to 75 O; 552 to 559,1929, issues of the
Journal of the A.M.A. These articles outline Dr. Martland's analysis of the
situation in Jersey. In these articles Dr. Martland states briefly that a
girl might ingest anywhere from 15 to 215 micrograns of radioactive substances
per week.
A simple calculation will show that by taking the average 115 micro-
grams
per week that an operator would vaste approximately $11.50 worth of material
per week. This hardly seema plausible, when one considers that these girls
were only getting grom 018 to $25 per veek. Let us make another assumption
that each operator wasted 50 micrograns of radium element per week, and that with
250 girls working this would neen that during the course of gear 680 milligrans
of radium element would be lost, or approxinately 1/3 of the total amount of
material which was used for this purpose - this on the face of it would seem
impossible unleas the corporation was extracrinaryly wasteful.
48. Referring to the work of Flinn, the Journal of the A.M.A. Dec. 18,1926: Flinn
estimates that an operator who practiced the habit of pointing the brush with her
lips might ingest approximetely 0.5 grams a week, which would contain approximately
amoun
7.2 micrograms of radioactive substances. Thile his estimated/is approxinately
1/2 of the estinated minimum of Dr. Martland, still it seems much more within
reason. Disregarding the fact of whether or not the practice of pointing the
brushes with the lips was ever a common practice or a recognized one, but assuming
that one had knowledge at the time these girls were employed, 1915 to 1925, that
they vere pointing the brushes with thoir lips, and that thay were ingosting
weekly 7.5 micrograms of radium element, procipitated as the sulphate - would you
have considered that there was a possibility that these girls would have absorbed
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"ocrText": "Page - 4-\n42. You are doubtless familiar with certain conditions which have been described in\nthe literature recently, that have been ascribed to the accumulation and retention\nof radium element in the system by people employed in the application of self\nluminous material to watch, clock dials, etc.\n43. I assume Doctor that you are faniliar with the nethod by which the particular\ngirls or oporators afflicted, claim to have ingested the matorial?\n44. You are probably further aware that the conditions which are ascribed to have\nresulted from this type of work, were first described around 1925, and that they\nwere described in the light of being a new discovery?\n45. In view of the facts as developed, let us say in 1925, did you then consider the\ninternal use of radium befraught with any immediate or possible latent hasards?\n46. Did you consider that there was any analogy betwoen the ingestion of radium, such\nas is claimed to have been done in the case of these girls and the administration\nof radium internally under medical supervision?\n47. Are you familiar with the articles by Dr. Harrison Martland, occuring in Vol. 85,\nP.p. 1769, 1925, and volume 92, p.p. 466 to 75 O; 552 to 559,1929, issues of the\nJournal of the A.M.A. These articles outline Dr. Martland's analysis of the\nsituation in Jersey. In these articles Dr. Martland states briefly that a\ngirl might ingest anywhere from 15 to 215 micrograns of radioactive substances\nper week.\nA simple calculation will show that by taking the average 115 micro-\ngrams\nper week that an operator would vaste approximately $11.50 worth of material\nper week. This hardly seema plausible, when one considers that these girls\nwere only getting grom 018 to $25 per veek. Let us make another assumption\nthat each operator wasted 50 micrograns of radium element per week, and that with\n250 girls working this would neen that during the course of gear 680 milligrans\nof radium element would be lost, or approxinately 1/3 of the total amount of\nmaterial which was used for this purpose - this on the face of it would seem\nimpossible unleas the corporation was extracrinaryly wasteful.\n48. Referring to the work of Flinn, the Journal of the A.M.A. Dec. 18,1926: Flinn\nestimates that an operator who practiced the habit of pointing the brush with her\nlips might ingest approximetely 0.5 grams a week, which would contain approximately\namoun\n7.2 micrograms of radioactive substances. Thile his estimated/is approxinately\n1/2 of the estinated minimum of Dr. Martland, still it seems much more within\nreason. Disregarding the fact of whether or not the practice of pointing the\nbrushes with the lips was ever a common practice or a recognized one, but assuming\nthat one had knowledge at the time these girls were employed, 1915 to 1925, that\nthey vere pointing the brushes with thoir lips, and that thay were ingosting\nweekly 7.5 micrograms of radium element, procipitated as the sulphate - would you\nhave considered that there was a possibility that these girls would have absorbed"
}