Rhode Island taking eight companies to court over poisonous lead paint.(The Providence Journal)

PROVIDENCE, R.I. _ So many children have been lead-poisoned here that Providence has come to be known as the lead-paint capital of the United States. On Wednesday, the title will take on a new meaning as the state goes to trial with a lawsuit that will be watched around the nation.

Atty. Gen. Sheldon Whitehouse is seeking to hold eight corporations accountable for manufacturing or selling the lead-based paints decades ago that have been poisoning children here and around the country for years.

He wants a six-person jury to declare the lead-based paints a public nuisance, and then go on to other proceedings to assign liability and damages.

This is the first time a state has sued to have paint declared a public nuisance _ creating a condition that unreasonably interferes with the health, safety and comfort of the community.

Dozens of suits have been filed by individuals and communities against the paint companies and all have failed.

This is also the first time a state has joined forces with a major class-action litigator _ in this case the law firm of Ness Motley, the South Carolina litigators who have won huge settlements from the asbestos and tobacco industries.

The Stakes in the lead paint trial are enormous.