Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini

Author:Jennifer Chiaverini [Chiaverini, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-08T00:00:00+00:00

12

September–October 1916

Helen

In the middle of August, the renowned medical journal The Lancet published the results of a rigorous five-month study of the effects of TNT on women munitions workers. Dr. Agnes Livingstone-Learmonth and Dr. Barbara Martin Cunningham, both munitions factory medical officers, had concluded beyond all doubt that TNT poisoned the women who directly handled it, as well as others who worked in the same building. They classified the women’s symptoms as either “irritative,” such as nasal congestion, sore throats, headaches, chest pains, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, and skin rashes; or “toxic,” which included continuous bilious attacks, fainting, swollen feet and hands, fatigue, depression, and blurred vision. The most significant factors influencing how sick a worker became appeared to be the frequency and duration of exposure, as well as the individual’s health in general.

Much to her annoyance and indignation, Helen did not learn of the study until nearly a fortnight after it was published. When she finally obtained a copy, she read it diligently, thankful to finally have some answers. She was not at all surprised to find striking similarities between the physicians’ analysis and the simpler, vernacular report one of their own canary girls had put together.

In the conclusion of their report, the two physicians—both women, Helen was intrigued to see—had recommended measures factories could and ought to take to lessen the severity of TNT poisoning. They strongly urged improved ventilation to disperse the TNT dust, but they cautioned that respirators and masks, which provided excellent protection against airborne germs, could actually do more harm than good as a barrier against the yellow powder, since warmth and moisture worsened the irritation of the nose, throat, and sinuses. Veils were suggested as a more suitable alternative, and like the rest of a worker’s uniform, they should be laundered between wearings. The doctors also encouraged serving plain nourishing food and bland drinks in factory canteens, coating the face with a protective powder, and practicing good “personal cleanliness,” something factories could best encourage by constructing appropriate washing facilities on their grounds. They strongly recommended not to employ workers under eighteen or over forty in Danger Buildings, and to rotate workers in and out of other departments every twelve weeks. Ideally, TNT workers would be scheduled on three eight-hour shifts rather than two twelve-hour shifts, and every week, each worker would receive a thorough medical examination.

Some of the doctors’ recommendations were already in place at Thornshire, but others, Helen knew, would be difficult to implement and might provoke resistance from the very workers they were meant to help. Thanks to her anonymous statistician, Helen knew that the Danger Building jobs appealed to many munitionettes because the risks merited higher pay. Would the canary girls’ wages remain the same during their twelve-week rotation to less hazardous work, or would they be paid the going rate? Would the munitionettes currently assigned to less dangerous factories object to being transferred into the Danger Building while the regular workers rotated out? Would workers welcome a

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