On this day in Labor History the year was 1906.
That was the day that Dr. Harriet Louise Hardy was born in Arlington, Massachusetts.
She pursued a career in medicine, driven by personal family tragedy.
She lost her father to pneumonia when she was only four years old.
She also lost a baby brother to the 1918 influenza outbreak.
Dr. Hardy became an early leader in the field of occupational medicine.
She was also the first woman to become a full professor at Harvard medical School.
Dr. Hardy began her career in occupational medicine when she began to investigate the causes of illness among workers making fluorescent lights in factories north of Boston.
Most of these workers were women.
Dr. Hardy researched the cases of berylliosis in Lynn and Salem Massachusetts.
The metal beryllium is used in making the lights.
Inhaling dust or fumes of the metal can be deadly, but symptoms often do not begin to show up until years after exposure.
Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing and scarred lungs.
Dr. Hardy developed the National Beryllium Registry.
It was one of the first registries of its kind to track the impact of a chronic health disorder.
Her research helped lead to safety measures in the handling of this dangerous metal.
Dr. Hardy also worked with unions including the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union and The United Mine Workers to identify and address workplace health hazards.
These included substances like lead, mercury, anthrax and asbestos.
She wrote a textbook on the subject of industrial toxicology, with another pioneer in the field of occupational health, Dr. Alice Hamilton.
Dr. Hardy helped to forge new ground in making jobsites more safe and healthy for workers.
October 2 - Rebuilding in Tough Times
October 1 - The Jerry Level
September 30 - The Elaine, Arkansas Massacre
September 29 - Creating a Standing Army
September 28 - Solidarity on the Docks
September 27 - Wreck of the Old ‘97
September 26 - Disaster on the Job Around the Globe
September 25 - Martyred for the Vote
September 24 - Banned in Canada
September 22 - The First Farm Aid
September 21 - Fighting Just to Maintain Standards
September 20 - The Fight for Equality
September 19 - The End of My Sweet Jennie
September 18 - The Atlanta Compromise
September 17 - Striking in the South
September 16 - NHL Managers Lock Out Players
September 15 - The Invergordon Mutiny
September 14 - The Murder of Ella Mae Wiggins
September 13 - Attica!
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