The Remarkable Coincidence of a Radium Girl's Story

A volunteer at the Vernon Powerhouse Theatre discovered a family photo of his late mother, Margaret, painting clock dials in 1941, while researching a play about Radium Girls, a true story of women who worked with radium in the 1920s.

The photo was taken by professional photographer Herbert Nott at a factory in Toronto, during the Second World War, and was part of an American magazine's promotional campaign.

Margaret's painting job involved using radium-based paint to create luminous dials for aircraft, which she later suffered from due to radiation poisoning.

Margaret was eventually diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a condition that can have several origins, one being radiation poisoning from radium exposure.

The story of Radium Girls highlights the medical distress and death suffered by women who worked with radium in the 1920s and led to significant changes in workplace safety and regulations.

Margaret's story is now being researched and written, thanks to the volunteer's curiosity and determination to uncover the truth.

The coincidence began when a volunteer at the theatre found an old family photo that had been passed down through generations.

The discovery of the photo sparked a new investigation into the use of radium-based paint in Canadian workplaces.

Canadian workers, including Margaret, continued to use radium-based paint in the early 1940s despite the dangers of radiation poisoning.

The play Radium Girls will soon be performed at the Vernon Powerhouse Theatre, shedding light on the tragic story of women who fought against corporate deception and the dangers of radium.