Associated Press (09/06/2002) ; Austin, Liz

The city of Chicago has filed a public nuisance lawsuit against lead-paint manufacturers, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for the removal of toxic paint from homes and the subsequent medical attention that children living in those homes may require. Defendants include such big-name firms as E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. and Sherwin-Williams Co. The city filed its lawsuit one day after a historic trial against eight former lead paint makers opened in Rhode Island--the first state to actively sue paint manufacturers. Anne Evans, director of childhood lead poisoning for Chicago's health department, points out that the Windy City has America's highest rate of pediatric lead poisoning.