ABSTRACT
It is well known that ionizing radiation can cause damage to biological systems. The discovery of radiation and its use in medical applications caused great excitement, and many investigations began in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Very soon, however, deleterious effects were observed, including damage to the skin, induction of cancer, and the particularly tragic episode of the radium dial painters, who ingested significant quantities of 226Ra in factories in which luminous dial watches were made (Mullner 1989), as they had the habit of sharpening the tips of their paint brushes with their lips. They suffered several types of bone cancer, including carcinomas of the paranasal sinuses, which are particularly rare and clearly due to their exposure to radium. They even manifested spontaneous fractures in their spines and jaws; others died of anemia. They were compensated eventually, although the factory owners denied responsibility for as long as they could.
