tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:04:34 +0000"... The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution": Taking Action in a Landmark Case Against the Lead-Paint Industryhttp://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/noreply@blogger.com (CCNMTL)Blogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114623891801357828Fri, 28 Apr 2006 15:37:00 +00002006-04-28T08:41:58.026-07:00As the research of our project is wrapping up and we begins to write our paper, I have been able to reflect on the outcome of our project and the environmental message I am hoping to get out to the public. The course of the group research has shown that knowledge is the most important weapon for combating the dangerous world of industrial pollution. The majority of companies that are contributinghttp://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/04/final-thoughts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Helen Booth-Tobin)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114590553673514982Mon, 24 Apr 2006 19:05:00 +00002006-04-24T12:05:36.736-07:00The main goal of the ELEA project The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution is to shed light on a manufacturer’s responsibility to properly communicate information about its products to the public, specifically manufacturers of toxic or potentially toxic substances. Manufacturers of toxic materials are responsible for assuring consumer safety and for creating proper awareness of any potential http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/04/mission-statement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (rl2126)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114590537769694562Mon, 24 Apr 2006 19:01:00 +00002006-04-24T12:04:02.433-07:00What's the Topic?Our team conducted research for Dr. David Rosner, the Director of History and Ethics of Public Health at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The reason for this research is what turned out to be a landmark court case in Rhode Island. In this case, the state sued four companies that used to manufacture lead paint for creating a public nuisance by neglecting tohttp://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/04/action-plan.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (rl2126)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114417640538629219Tue, 04 Apr 2006 18:45:00 +00002006-04-04T11:47:13.360-07:00Our mentor has gone abroad for this final month, but Helen and I got a chance to meet with Doctor Rosner and one of his colleagues one last time before his departure for France. We traveled to his office on 168th street last Friday and got a chance to see our historian in his element; his office was full of amazing books and historical artifacts from his research. He let us feel a hunk of pure http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/04/final-meeting-and-some-new-thoughts_04.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alyson C Baker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114417562501521614Tue, 04 Apr 2006 18:30:00 +00002006-04-04T11:33:45.046-07:00Our mentor has gone abroad for this final month, but Helen and I got a chance to meet with Doctor Rosner and one of his colleagues one last time before his departure for France. We traveled to his office on 168th street last Friday and got a chance to see our historian in his element; his office was full of amazing books and historical artifacts from his research. He let us feel a hunk of pure http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/04/final-meeting-and-some-new-thoughts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alyson C Baker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114400217290774192Sun, 02 Apr 2006 18:20:00 +00002006-04-02T11:22:52.920-07:00Rhode Island’s case against the country’s largest paint manufacturers has been an extremely controversial case that is a landmark for a variety of reasons. After reading an article published in The New York Times today, April 2, there have been many thoughts stirring in my head about the effects that this case will have beyond the paint companies. In this entry I have chosen to basically sum up http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/04/case-could-have-easily-gone-other-way.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (rl2126)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114357636680327727Tue, 28 Mar 2006 20:04:00 +00002006-03-28T12:06:06.820-08:00The research our team has been doing on the lead-based paint case and the issues surrounding it has, as Doctor Rosner assured us it would, led us into other branches of research. Investigating a present issue through historical articles has been extremely interesting; it is a whole new way of doing research and finding out why things currently are the way they are. The relationships between http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/food-and-drug-acts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alyson C Baker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114357440843596791Tue, 28 Mar 2006 19:31:00 +00002006-03-28T11:33:28.466-08:00Following up on my post from last week concerning regulations in the cosmetic industry, I started looking at the policies of the Food and Drug Administration regarding the regulations of cosmetics. The information that I found expanded on the articles I read last week regarding policy changes in California and offered new insight into issues our group is interesting in concerning warning labels http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/following-up-on-my-post-from-last-week.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Helen Booth-Tobin)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114348606862389091Mon, 27 Mar 2006 18:59:00 +00002006-03-27T11:01:08.643-08:00Initially, I could not understand how the jury in the first trial was deadlocked and how the jury in the second trial found it difficult to reach their final decision. I thought a verdict in favor of the state was a no-brainer. However, after delving deeper into the case, it seems that the information presented could easily leave a person confused and wary of the validity of the state’s claim. http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/sorting-through-evidence.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (rl2126)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114297456121127360Tue, 21 Mar 2006 20:54:00 +00002006-03-26T18:06:16.950-08:00Once we had really begun our research looking in to the lead paint industry and industrial pollution, our group met once again with Dr. David Rosner to discuss what we had found. During this meeting Dr. Rosner also updated us on his personal involvement in the case and the amazing success of the case. We talked about how once the Rhode Island decision came in, numerous other states around the http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/once-we-had-really-begun-our-research.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Helen Booth-Tobin)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114296606299269280Tue, 21 Mar 2006 18:33:00 +00002006-03-21T10:34:23.010-08:00Before leaving for break, our team met with Doctor Rosner to discuss the research we have been doing and the progress being made in the lead based paint cases. We began our session by discussing the case and its remarkable progress. After the win in Rhode Island, so much had been happening and it was moving rapidly. Like wildfire, the court’s decision has spread and influenced other pending http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/before-leaving-for-break-our-team-met.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alyson C Baker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114296503348577524Tue, 21 Mar 2006 18:10:00 +00002006-03-21T10:17:13.506-08:00Before leaving for break, our team met with Doctor Rosner to discuss the research we have been doing and the progress being made in the lead based paint cases. We began our session by discussing the case and its remarkable progress. After the win in Rhode Island, so much had been happening and it was moving rapidly. Like wildfire, the court's decision has spread and influenced other pending http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/reassurance-and-new-quest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alyson C Baker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114289787664437707Mon, 20 Mar 2006 23:36:00 +00002006-03-20T15:37:56.660-08:00While spending time in Rhode Island this past week, I was fortunate enough to speak with Peter Lord, the Providence Journal Bulletin’s environmental journalist who has been responsible for covering the RI trial. He witnessed every aspect of the trial, while other news outlets only arrived for the closing of the trial. The outcome of this trial was of particular interest for investment bankers, http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/from-different-perspective.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (rl2126)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114176450003689773Tue, 07 Mar 2006 20:44:00 +00002006-03-07T12:48:20.053-08:00Reading Encounters with the Archdruid brought an interesting perspective to work I am doing for another class. I have been researching the case Sierra Club v. Morton and other early conservation issues in environmental law. The case, which was heard in the early 1970s, was about a controversy over Mineral Kind Valley and the desire to build a ski resort in the area. The Sierra Club brought the http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/reading-encounters-with-archdruid.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Helen Booth-Tobin)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114169760111358288Tue, 07 Mar 2006 02:07:00 +00002006-03-06T18:13:21.126-08:00Blog 3/7/06 The readings for this week’s class sparked my interest because my current research has brought up the issue of mining. I am slowly realizing how what is inside of the earth affects our lives. In essence, mankind is like Park in Encounters With the Archdruid, smashing into the earth to see what pops out. Lead is one of the oldest metals known to man; the ancient http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/lead-history-beginnings.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alyson C Baker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114158566956387824Sun, 05 Mar 2006 19:06:00 +00002006-03-05T11:07:49.580-08:00We have been moving right along with our project, conducting research and planning out our final report. The latest update from the trial is that the judge dismissed punitive damages claims, declaring that such damages are intended to punish criminal behavior. The companies have not manufactured the paint for a long time and standards for lead poisoning of children have changed since the first http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/03/we-have-been-moving-right-along-with.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (rl2126)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114114948389691618Tue, 28 Feb 2006 17:56:00 +00002006-02-28T11:54:45.616-08:00As the other posts indicate, we are very excited about the verdict in the Rhode Island lead paint case. This landmark case surely sets a precedent for other states that choose to file similar suits. It is both an honor and a privilege to be working with Dr. Rosner, a professor from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, because of his important role in the trial and because of hishttp://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/02/understanding-rhode-island-case.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (rl2126)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114114933431430856Tue, 28 Feb 2006 17:54:00 +00002006-02-28T09:55:34.336-08:00Jury holds 3 ex-makers of lead paint liable06:41 PM EST on Wednesday, February 22, 2006Staff and wire reportsPROVIDENCE -- A jury has decided that three former makers of lead paint created a public nuisance that has poisoned thousands of Rhode Island children, and continues to do so.In a highly anticipated verdict announced shortly before noon today, the three companies found responsible are http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/02/providence-journal-22206.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (rl2126)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114110189117099159Tue, 28 Feb 2006 04:38:00 +00002006-02-27T20:44:51.186-08:00On February 22, 2006 a landmark case was decided in Rhode Island against three lead paint companies. The case determined that three out of four companies being sued by the state of Rhode Island are liable for knowingly poisoning children. Hopefully this case will not be the last of it’s kind. With the help of cases such as this, companies can be held legally responsible for the dangerous http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/02/on-february-22-2006-landmark-case-was.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Alyson C Baker)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14908962.post-114110148526589125Tue, 28 Feb 2006 04:36:00 +00002006-02-27T20:38:05.276-08:00It was a very exciting week for our project. Our project centers around a Rhode Island case concerning the responsibility of the lead paint industry for the health problems that the paint has caused in children. On February 22, the jury reached a verdict and found three former lead paint companies responsible for poisoning thousands of children in Rhode Island. The companies could potentially http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/projects/blogs/elea/1/2006/02/victory.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Helen Booth-Tobin)1