Pittsburgh-based PPG industries announced to shareholders on Thursday that it will stop putting lead in any of its products by 2020. The announcement came shortly after shareholder Perry Gottesfeld, public health activist and founder of the nonprofit Occupational Knowledge International, delivered a petition with more than 5,000 signatures asking the company to discontinue the use of lead. "PPG is now the first large U.S. company to agree to completely reformulate their products and take out lead," Gottesfeld said. Activists also put pressure on Cleveland-based Sherwin Williams at its shareholder meeting on Wednesday, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer. PPG spokesman Mark Silvey declined repeated requests for an interview, and would not specify which products still contain lead. "PPG paint and coatings comply with all applicable regulations in markets where they are sold," Silvey said in an e-mail.