Could the Pillar men survive radiation?

Part 2 takes place in 1938, after the discovery of radiation (1896) and it's health risks (1925) but before the Manhattan project (1942) and nuclear power plants like EBR-I (1951). Which makes this question difficult to ask due to the timing being in-between discovery and application of radioactive elements. Would radiation poisoning even have an effect on them or would it be shrugged off like rain?