HISTORY OF LEAD PAINT IN BALTIMORE -- BASIC OVERVIEW

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                The History of the Use of Lead-Based Paint in Baltimore, Maryland

It must be understood that when lead-based paint was marketed for sale , prior to it being outlawed by the Federal government for residential use in 1977, it was an imperfect but legal product in great demand because it was durable and washable. In fact it was repeatedly endorsed by the Federal, state and local governments, and specifically designated for use on many government buildings until the mid-1970s. The use of lead-based paint peaked in the United States in about 1922, and by 1940 the use of "white lead" (lead carbonate) pigments for interior surfaces was on the way out  [http://www.leadlawsuits.com/history/history-of-the-use-of-lead-paint ].

The use of "white lead" began in the United States (including the Baltimore area) in  Colonial times and ultimately peaked in or about 1922.

In 1951, Baltimore banned the use of lead pigment in interior paint in Baltimore housing.  This was the very first such restriction in the United States.

In 1955, the paint industry--- working with public health officials and organizations --- adopted a voluntary national standard to prohibit, in effect, the use of lead pigments in interior residential paints.

 In 1971, the Federal Lead Poisoning Prevention Act was passed. At that time, a blood lead level of 60 micrograms per deciliter was considered not a level of concern to the human body.

In 1977-78, the Federal government banned consumer (residential) uses of lead-based paint
.
In 1991, stating that the change was based on " very recent research", the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) lowered the blood lead level of concern to 10 micrograms per deciliter or above, where it remained until 2012.

In 2012, the CDC lowered the reference level, or " level of concern", for blood lead levels to 5 micrograms per deciliter.