History of Lead Industry Advertisements
| Major Contributions |
| Much of the material from the "History of Lead Advertising" section of this web site is drawn from the book Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution, and from the article "Cater to the Children: The Role of the Lead Industry in a Public Health Tragedy," which appeared in the January 2000 issue of American Journal of Public Health. Both pieces were written by Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner. For full citations, please see the credits to this section. |
The following article describes the advertising campaign that the lead industry engaged in during the period of time that a huge store of evidence implicated lead paint in children's deaths. In response to the growing evidence, the industry sought to counter negative publicity by developing a campaign to "Cater to the Children." This essay is part of a larger history of the lead industry that Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner have recently published. The illustrations that accompany the text and many of the images that are noted in the text can be located in either the single-page ad or booklet image galleries.
"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 the United States, is paint. The dangers of lead were known even in the 19th century, and the particular dangers to children were documented in the English language literature as early as 1904. During the first decades of the 20th century, many other countries banned or restricted the use of lead paint for interior painting. Despite this knowledge, the lead industry in the United States did nothing to discourage the use of lead paint on interior walls and woodwork. In fact, beginning in the 1920s, the Lead Industries Association and its members conducted an intensive campaign to promote the use of paint containing white lead, 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.
