Keith, lead is no longer used in the manufacturing of paint in DR. I recall seeing a tv report on this, not too long ago on either Nuria or La Vida Misma. The report revolved around a small community in Haina, where a paint manufacturing plant operated and was subsequently abandoned. There are a lot of children living in the vicinity of the old manufacturing plant who are suffering with lead poisoning due to direct contamination of the soil and also lead dust being dispersed into the air. They also spoke to one of the major paint manufacturers in DR, who stated that the use of lead was outlawed several years ago, and that they no longer used it in their production process.
Perhaps you can get your hands on a copy of that report on the net. I've seen some other reports from both shows on the net, and even a link here on DR1, but I just can't recall the site. Good luck on your search.
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