City joins lead-paint lawsuit

The company has filed a federal lawsuit against cities that sue over lead paint.
CANTON (AP) -- The city has joined several other Ohio communities in suing companies that once made lead paint, saying they knew they were selling a toxic product for years.
A lawsuit filed Wednesday in Stark County Common Pleas Court lists as defendants Cleveland-based Sherwin-Williams Co. and several other companies that years ago made lead-based paint, which can cause neurological damage.
Paint makers already are being sued by Toledo, East Cleveland, Cincinnati, Lancaster and Columbus.
The companies have said they should not be held responsible for practices that were legal at the time, and, to try to block litigation, Sherwin-Williams has filed a federal lawsuit against the cities and any others that might sue.
Canton's lawsuit says the industry knew lead was toxic as early as 1900 but said it continued to add the metal to paint and even promoted the product as having health benefits.
What's sought in suit
Canton wants the companies to pay for the removal of lead paint and for public education about its dangers, as well as reimburse the city for lead-related spending.
The federal government banned lead paint in 1978 after studies showed that children who eat or breathe flaking paint or dust could suffer severe and potentially fatal health problems, including brain damage and behavioral disorders. The paint still turns up in many older buildings.
Earlier this year, a Rhode Island jury found Sherwin-Williams, NL Industries and Millennium Holdings liable for creating a public nuisance by manufacturing and selling a toxic product.
Earlier this month, the Legislature passed a law that in part states that paint manufacturers can't be sued under public nuisances laws.