Lead Paint Is Not a Public Nuisance

Abstract

Lead has proven to be a toxic substance for humans. Historians and archeologists argue about whether or not lead pipes contributed to the fall of Rome more than 1,500 years ago Hodge 1981 . In the early 1900s industrial nations began to recognize the danger of lead in paint. In 1910 the U.S. House of Representatives attempted to implement legislation that would have required the notation that lead pigments were poisonous and that they must display the skull and crossbones. The bill was not passed. Reminiscent of the global warming initiative adopted by the Kyoto Accords of 1992, in 1921, over 40 nations, excluding the United States, sent delegates to the International Labor Conference of the League of Nations in an attempt to agree on suitable warnings for lead-based paints Warren 1999 . It was not until 1977 that the United States federal government finally began prohibiting the use of lead-based paints in homes. However, between 1910 and 1977, it is estimated that over 4,000 tons of lead-based paints were used in U.S. homes and on U.S. products Warren 1999 . The majority of homes built before 1978 probably contain lead-based paint. Lead-based paints can be found on both exterior and interior finishes. Lead can be found in the soil outside of a house painted with lead-based paint. Lead can be found in drinking water, although because it is tasteless and odorless, it is difficult to detect. It can also be found in furniture, carpets, dust, and on interior surfaces U.S. EPA 2008 .