Newly raised concerns about lead-covered telephone cables installed across the US many decades ago are putting pressure on companies like AT&T and Verizon to identify the locations of all the cables and account for any health problems potentially caused by the toxic metal.

US Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) wrote a letter to the USTelecom industry trade group this week after a Wall Street Journal investigative report titled, “America Is Wrapped in Miles of Toxic Lead Cables.” The WSJ said it found evidence of more than 2,000 lead-covered cables and that there “are likely far more throughout the country.”

WSJ reporters had researchers collect samples as part of their investigation. They “found that where lead contamination was present, the amount measured in the soil was highest directly under or next to the cables, and dropped within a few feet—a sign the lead was coming from the cable,” the article said.

Markey wrote to USTelecom, “According to the Wall Street Journal’s investigation, ‘AT&T, Verizon and other telecom giants have left behind a sprawling network of cables covered in toxic lead that stretches across the US, under the water, in the soil and on poles overhead… As the lead degrades, it is ending up in places where Americans live, work and play.'”

Markey wants answers

Markey wants answers to a series of questions by July 25:

Do the companies know the locations and mileage of lead-sheathed cables that they own or for which they are responsible—whether aerial, underwater, or underground? Are there maps of the locations and installations? If not, what plans do the companies have to identify the cables?

Why have the companies that knew about the cables—and the potential exposure risks they pose—failed to monitor them or act?

Markey also asked what plans telcos have to address environmental and public health problems that could arise from lead cables. He asked the companies to commit to “testing for soil, water, and other contamination caused by the cables,” to remediate any contamination, and warn communities of the potential hazards.

Markey also asked USTelecom if the phone companies will guarantee “medical treatment and compensation to anyone harmed by lead poisoning caused by the cables.”

Markey isn’t the only lawmaker expressing concern. “There is no safe level of lead exposure—none—which is why I’m so disturbed by these reports of lead cable lines throughout the country,” US Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ) told the WSJ. “It is imperative that these cables be properly scrutinized and addressed.”

Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-NY) told the Journal he is considering legislation on remediating contamination from the cables and that telecom companies should “do the right thing and clean up their mess.” The Journal said its testing in a playground in Ryan’s district “registered high levels of lead underneath an aerial cable running along the perimeter of the park.”

A Light Reading article quoted New Street Research analysts as saying that “the WSJ article raises the prospects that the telephone companies may face significant financial exposure down the road that the market has not anticipated” and that AT&T likely faces “the greatest exposure” due to the size of its network.

USTelecom: No cause for alarm

A USTelecom spokesperson told Ars today, “We are engaging with stakeholders on this important matter. The US telecom industry prioritizes the health and safety of our communities and workers. We have not seen, nor have regulators identified, evidence that legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables are a leading cause of lead exposure or the cause of a public health issue.”

USTelecom also set up a “Telecom Cable Facts” website to address concerns. “The use of lead alloys in telecom cables started in the 1880s and the industry began to phase out placement of new lead-sheathed cables in the 1950s after developing a new type of sheathing,” the trade group’s website said. “Some of these cables still provide customer voice and data services, including connecting 911 service, fire alarms, and other central monitoring stations.”

We contacted AT&T and Verizon today and will update this article if we get any response.

The WSJ reported, “For many years, telecom companies have known about the lead-covered cables and the potential risks of exposure to their workers, according to documents and interviews with former employees. They were also aware that lead was potentially leaching into the environment, but haven’t meaningfully acted on potential health risks to the surrounding communities or made efforts to monitor the cables.”

Markey’s letter called that passage from the article “especially concerning” and “corporate irresponsibility of the worst kind.” He said telecom companies have a “civil and legal” duty to address the problem and promised that he will be “watching closely from my seats on Senate committees that have jurisdiction over the environmental and public health issues these cables present.” Markey is chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety.

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1954031