"Cater to the children": The role of the lead industry in a public health tragedy, 1900-1955

A major source of childhood lead poisoning, still a serious problem in thc United States, is paint, The dangers of lead were known even in the 19th ce ntury and Che particular dangers to children were documented in the Engish language literature as early as 1904. During the first decades of the 20th century, many other countries banned or restricted the use lead paint for i nterior painting. Despite this knowledge, the lead industry in the United S tates did nothing Lo discourage the use of lead paint on interior walls and woodwork fact, beginning in the 1920s,, the Lead Industries Association an d its: members conducted an intensive campaign to promote the use Of paint containing white feed, even targeting children in their advertising. It was not until the 1950s that the industry, under increasing pressure, adopted a voluntary standard limiting the amount of lead in interior paints.