The most prominent reason people often think negatively of the standard of living during industrialization is due to health issues from factory and boarding house conditions.
Health Issues Due to Factory Conditions
- Factories were not held responsible for work-related injuries or death
- At first, few provisions were made for the safety of workers
The Radium Girls
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Dangerous Machinery
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Health Issues Due to Housing Conditions
- Workers lived in close quarters, especially in boardinghouses, and disease was spread easily
- This caused many cases of long-term exposure to tobacco smoke, air pollution, and unsafe drinking water, leading to various diseases like diphtheria, cholera, and tuberculosis
- William Cobbett Skinner wrote, on February 25th, 1888, “Ed Walsh lost another child yesterday by diphtheria…”, ever so casually