Gerald Markowitz: Historian testifies in lead poisoning trial in Rhode Island
Childhood lead poisoning was a problem of slum dwellings that could not be solved until there was a way to "get rid of our slums and educate the relatively ineducable parent," according to a document written by an official of the Lead Industries Association.
The document, a letter written in the 1950s by the director of the association's health and safety department, was one of a half-dozen documents presented by the state against NL Industries, Atlantic Richfield and Millennium Holdings. ...
In the state's trial against companies that made lead-based pigments for paint, Gerald Markowitz, a historian who coauthored a book about the lead industry with David Rosner, testified that the "ineducable" parents the letter referred to were identified as black and Puerto Rican in other documents he researched.
Markowitz testified Thursday that the association was formed partly to "combat the substitution of other materials for lead, as well as to combat adverse publicity due to lead poisoning."
Yesterday, state lawyer Jack McConnell presented minutes from association meetings in which the issue of bad publicity from lead poisonings was discussed....
[The state's lawyer Jack] McConnell asked Markowitz if he thought each of the defendants knew about the dangers of lead poisoning during the time they made and sold lead for pigments.
"Did they continue to produce and sell lead after they knew it could poison children?
"Did they continue to sell lead after they knew children were dying of lead poisoning?"
For each defendant, for each question, Markowitz answered, "Yes."
Read entire article at Providence Journal
The document, a letter written in the 1950s by the director of the association's health and safety department, was one of a half-dozen documents presented by the state against NL Industries, Atlantic Richfield and Millennium Holdings. ...
In the state's trial against companies that made lead-based pigments for paint, Gerald Markowitz, a historian who coauthored a book about the lead industry with David Rosner, testified that the "ineducable" parents the letter referred to were identified as black and Puerto Rican in other documents he researched.
Markowitz testified Thursday that the association was formed partly to "combat the substitution of other materials for lead, as well as to combat adverse publicity due to lead poisoning."
Yesterday, state lawyer Jack McConnell presented minutes from association meetings in which the issue of bad publicity from lead poisonings was discussed....
[The state's lawyer Jack] McConnell asked Markowitz if he thought each of the defendants knew about the dangers of lead poisoning during the time they made and sold lead for pigments.
"Did they continue to produce and sell lead after they knew it could poison children?
"Did they continue to sell lead after they knew children were dying of lead poisoning?"
For each defendant, for each question, Markowitz answered, "Yes."