She said the city seeks to recover the expenses being incurred through various programs designed to deal with the lead paint problem. Chicago, like other big cities, is still bearing the burden and the cost of problems stemming from lead paint. Even though this product hasn't been manufactured in more than 20 years, we are treating children with poisoning from such paint, we are paying for lead paint abatement and we are providing specialized services to children in our school system who live with the long-term effects of lead poisoning. For many years, manufacturers of paint used formulations featuring lead, which provided additional durability to its products. After the health effects of such paint products became widely understood, lead was banned from paint in 1978.
Lead poisoning is most common among children.
Public health authorities have linked such poisoning to developmental delays, learning disabilities, and a lifetime of other mental and physical challenges. Hoyle could not put a dollar amount on the city's lead paint programs but suggested the figure is substantial. The city operates several lead paint abatement programs and pays for treating those suffering from the effects of lead paint poisoning. In addition, she said the city bears numerous indirect costs associated with lead paint poisoning, such as the Chicago Public School System's special education programs catering to children whose disabilities stem from lead paint poisoning. The legal argument contends that lead paint producers essentially created a nuisance by manufacturing and distributing a product that posed a significant danger to the public.