NL Industries

It began business in Philadelphia in 1772. The name "National Lead Company" was used since 1891 after a series of mergers. National Lead changed its name to NL Industries in 1971.

California lead paint liability case

NL Industries has encountered legal problems based on their long history of selling lead paint. Exposure to lead paint can cause numerous health and developmental problems in children and adults, and its use has been banned or restricted in many countries.

In January 2014, the Santa Clara County Superior Court ruled that NL Industries, along with Sherwin-Williams and ConAgra were jointly and severally liable for $1.15 billion, to be paid into a lead paint abatement fund to be used to remove lead paint from older housing. The judge ruled that the paint companies manufactured, marketed, and sold lead paint without disclosing the health risks to the consumers in spite of "actual and constructive knowledge that it was harmful."

The disposition of The People v. ConAgra Grocery Products Company et al. in the California 6th Appellate District Court on November 14, 2017, is that ... the judgment is reversed, and the matter is remanded to the trial court with directions to recalculate the amount of the abatement fund to limit it to the amount necessary to cover the cost of remediating pre-1951 homes, and hold an evidentiary hearing regarding the appointment of a suitable receiver. The Plaintiff shall recover its costs on appeal.

On February 14, 2018, the California Supreme Court denied the defendants' request for review, sending the case back to the trial court as ordered by the Appellate Court.NL Industries settled its part of the suit in May, 2018 with a payment of $60 million and a pledge to stop supporting the ConAgra & Sherwin-Williams backed ballot measure proposed for the November, 2018 ballot

National Lead and Dutch Boy Paints

In 1907, National Lead entered the consumer market for titanium paints, creating a product line under the name "Dutch Boy". Dutch Boy paints competed with other brands that contained mineral products supplied by National Lead. The "Dutch Boy Painter", which was created by Lawrence Carmichael Earle, became National Lead's symbol for many years.

NL Industries sold off the Dutch Boy brand in 1980 to Sherwin-Williams, two years after the CPSC's directive banning the manufacturing of lead housepaint went into effect.