r/EnoughLibertarianSpam • u/mhuben • Aug 15 '26

Hundreds of California stonecutters fall ill with deadly disease ‘for a product we do not need’

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-08-12/600-plus-california-stonecutters-diagnosed-with-deadly-silicosis
351 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

26 comments sorted by

162

u/mhuben Aug 15 '26

Libertarians, of course, would say that no government regulation is needed. Along with historical sayings such as "they knew the job was dangerous when they took it." Another example of how regulations are written in blood.

67

u/octobod Aug 15 '26

Knew the job was dangerous? Tell that to the Radium girls :-(

32

u/Jonny36 Aug 15 '26

Even better argument for regulation

-16

u/SamAreAye Aug 15 '26

I'm a fan of regulation, but how are the radium girls a good argument for regulation? Nobody knew it was dangerous. We don't regulate things for no reason.

40

u/Jonny36 Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26

They (the employers) absolutely knew it was dangerous. It's quite famous in that the comapnies hid it from their employees even after many had died https://actassociates.co.uk/how-did-the-radium-girls-change-health-safety-in-the-uk/

11

u/SamAreAye Aug 15 '26

Damn. That fuckin sucks.

15

u/octobod Aug 15 '26

Read the book ... it sucks harder. It's basically repetitions of

"Her name was Mary, she brightened the room just by walking in. She got a job at the Radium dial factory and was so happy, she used the money to support her poor sick mother. Then all her teeth fell out and her lower jaw rotted, dropped off and she died.... The management denied all responsibility "

4

u/SamAreAye Aug 15 '26

This is exactly why I read Sci-fi.

8

u/octobod Aug 15 '26

Yeah, after that, I had to read 1984 to cheer myself up

1

u/No_Cook2983 Aug 17 '26

We knew lead gasoline caused major neurological problems *while* it was being invented.

The workers in the lab called it ‘loony gas’.

It may cause birth defects, but it was a penny a tank more profitable.

1

u/TubaWrestler Aug 17 '26

I don't understand why people read books like this. I got the message from the previous comment alone. Why torture yourself?

1

u/octobod Aug 17 '26

They went through a lot and changed leglation. Prior to that there were a very limited range of industrial diseases that could get compensation.. they changed that.

They deserve remembering even if it is depressing

1

u/SuckMeOffMrWalton Aug 19 '26

It’s important that stories are told, and available to read, in full. Otherwise it’s easy to handwave it as just a story, it’s harder to do that when you fully humanize the victims and you’re shown they had full lives, hobbies, friends, families.

It’s okay if you don’t want to, it is sad, but it’s important that someone does and that the full story exists.

5

u/VERY_MENTALLY_STABLE Aug 15 '26

They girls did not know it was dangerous until it was way too late

12

u/octobod Aug 15 '26

Yes the owners did know it was dangerous, It was known to cause skin burns in 1904 and the management had the girls point the brushes with their lips to apply the radium paint, (other factories didn't do this) and the management spent a lot of time and a tame doctor to lie to the workers that it was safe. They then dragged out the litigation for years till they got a paltry settlement of $10,000 (because the company had been liquidated)

22

u/mhuben Aug 15 '26

"They knew the job was dangerous when they took it" was a standard business argument against regulation and liability. Examples in mining safety regulations.

14

u/octobod Aug 15 '26

I'm aware of that, it's just the most obvious counter argument. The girls were not only not told about the dangers, the management were fully aware of the hazard

3

u/FloZone Aug 17 '26

Why didn't they just study nuclear physics as a side hustle??? Duh.

2

u/FloZone Aug 17 '26

But whaaat about personal responsibility???

3

u/Lubafteacup Aug 16 '26

What's the product?

1

u/AutumnMama Aug 21 '26

Engineered stone countertops

72

u/Velocity-5348 Aug 15 '26

"Cal/OSHA has cited 94% of inspected shops for violations, and 20% required emergency shutdown orders," the petition states. "The roughly 140 shops inspected represent only about 10% of the estimated 1,342 fabrication operations statewide."

So yeah, people are fucking around and workers are finding out, again. We've known the silicosis is a thing for a very long time.

Also, wear your PPE when cutting this, or cement board, or anything else like that. And don't let people around you get away with not wearing theirs. Their health aside, it creates a race to the bottom.

20

u/Darth_Lacey Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26

Well this is upsetting.

Remind me why this has to be done entirely manually?

16

u/Fulcro Aug 15 '26

Lungs are essentially an open wound. Treat them accordingly.

-4

u/bluegargoyle Aug 15 '26

Who controls the British crown?

1

u/MachoViper Aug 21 '26

Who makes Steve guttenburg a star?