Matchstick Girls
In Victorian England, girls as young as 12 worked in match factories, dipping sticks into white phosphorus—a highly toxic substance. Over time, it caused a gruesome condition called “phossy jaw,” where their jaws literally rotted away.
The girls endured painful, underpaid work for the sake of mass-producing matches. Eventually, protests and press exposure led to reforms and safer chemical alternatives. But the haunting legacy of matchstick girls lingers as a reminder of industrial exploitation.
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