EPA Calls on Telecom Executives to Meet About Lead-Sheathed Phone Cables

The Environmental Protection Agency sent letters requesting telecommunications companies to meet with the agency about their lead-sheathed phone cables, in a new phase of an investigation in the EPA’s efforts to protect the public from potential lead hazards. The agency’s move comes on the heels of the EPA finding more than 100 soil and sediment readings with lead above the regulator’s safety guideline for children at some phone lead-cable sites in three states. “This is lead that could be concerning” based on factors like “exposure and pathways” into the body, said Clifford Villa, head of the EPA’s “Superfund” office that cleans up contaminated sites. The preliminary data from the agency’s sampling supports the EPA determination that the investigation of lead telecommunications cables is a “high priority,” said Grant Cope, senior counselor to EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Both officials are helping oversee the EPA’s investigation. The EPA determined that the lead found near each cable location doesn’t require an emergency response or constitute an immediate health threat, partly because many spots where the agency tested were covered by grass, which the agency said could act as a barrier to reduce exposure. The EPA’s own handbook for lead-contaminated residential sites says grass cover isn’t always a permanent or protective remedy to guard against lead hazards over time.