The Rhode Island Lead Paint Lawsuit: Where do We Go from Here?

Abstract

Reports of child lead poisoning from paint date back over a hundred years. The lead paint companies were well aware of that hazard long before they ceased the sale of lead paint. Throughout the 20th century there was a gradually increasing acknowledgment by public health officials of the need to remove lead paint from the environment of young children, but minimal public resources were made available to do so. Beginning in the 1980s, lawsuits were filed against the industry; however, for legal/technical reasons, none was successful until a Rhode Island jury held that three former paint manufacturers had knowingly created a "public nuisance." Consequently, ongoing and future lawsuits may yield the resources for an end to child lead poisoning.