These women were encouraged to use the paint without precautions, and to frequently lick the brushes with their tongues to produce sharp lettering on watches. Radium workers soon began to complain of jaw pain, fatigue, and skin and tooth problems. In the late 1920s, medical investigations revealed that the bones in their jaws had necrosed, their tongues had been scarred by irradiation, and many had become chronically anemic (a sign of severe bone marrow damage).
