These lead court cases our turing out to be one of the best if not zee best lesson in producer responsability.  EU laws are shaping / driving product take back.  These requirments are driving manufacturing to design for deconstruction and increasing the attention paid to inclusion of less hazardous components.   Back in the stone ages we used asbestos, lead based paint, and dont forget anti-fouling paint for boat bottoms.    Being on the hook for multi-billion dollar clean ups is going to turn some of these coating manufacturers up side down.  Perhaps thats what you get when you have the motto 'cover the earth'  blaaah. 

These court cases are on track to shape a lot of policy, I can tell you that.  I remember when all the PCB cases a la westinghouse, etc were dropping.  Ouch.    Those are all phased out as well!

Every time I think of this issue that Realneo has really helped me to get up the curve on I cant help but think of the little girl pictured in the recent National Geographic.  She was from East Cleveland I beleive and the photo was some sort of medical imagery (xray?) and the lead paint chips were glowing in her belly.