America is Wrapped in Miles of Toxic Lead Cables

AT&T, Verizon and other telecommunications companies 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. The lead can be found on the banks of the Mississippi River in Louisiana, the Detroit River in Michigan, the Willamette River in Oregon, and the Passaic River in New Jersey, according to tests of samples from nearly 130 underwater-cable sites, conducted by several independent laboratories. The metal has tainted the soil at a popular fishing spot in New Iberia (LA), at a playground in Wappingers Falls (NY), and in front of a school in suburban New Jersey. More than 2,000 lead-covered cables haven't been addressed by the companies or environmental regulators. These relics of the old Bell System’s regional telephone network, and their impact on the environment, haven’t been previously reported.