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Ancient Lead-Covered Telephone Cables Have US Lawmakers Demanding Action (arstechnica.com) 65

Posted by BeauHD from the corporate-irresponsibility dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: 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 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." "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," added US Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ). "It is imperative that these cables be properly scrutinized and addressed."

Another Congressman, Rep. Patrick Ryan (D-NY), said 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 Wall Street 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."
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Ancient Lead-Covered Telephone Cables Have US Lawmakers Demanding Action More

Ancient Lead-Covered Telephone Cables Have US Lawmakers Demanding Action

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  • "No safe level for lead" means the US should be warning people in Australia about the danger from US lead cables.

    Anything else is irresponsible.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by vivian ( 156520 )

      OMG does that mean I have been talking on lead covered telephone lines? what if I get throat cancer or something from it? What about the children - they spend heaps of time on the phone - won't anyone think of the children?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by sjames ( 1099 )

        Maybe next time someone calls and tells you to put the reciever in a bag so he can blow the dust out of the lines you'll cooperate.

        Also, cell users should cooperate as well. You don't want soot from the Canadian fires trapped in your wireless...

    • Don't lick the telephone cables.

      • Don't lick the telephone cables.

        I've been using lead-based solder in electronics work for going on 60 years. I haven't taken precautions against exposure, and in fact I sometimes hold the solder in my mouth when a 'third hand' isn't available or won't work. I've had a blood test for lead, and it didn't raise any alarm bells.

        As I understand it, some lead compounds are very dangerous because they are highly bio-available. And sure, excessive exposure to even metallic lead will cause problems over time. But I can't help thinking that we have

        • Some things are almost certainly safer than others. I don't give soldering a second thought either, but I do was my hands with cold water if I've been handling unjacketted ammunition.

          Solder is a clean material with requirements on its cohesiveness. Cheap ass .22 is jammed together and crimped into a shell the most cheapest and fastest way possible. And it leaves a visible residue.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by ixuzus ( 2418046 )
          That's a lovely story and all but did you grow root vegetables in your solder and consume said vegetables?

    • No safe level for lead means you need to leave the solar system immediately.

      "Lead's per-particle abundance in the Solar System is 0.121 ppb (parts per billion).[97][k] This figure is two and a half times higher than that of platinum, eight times more than mercury, and seventeen times more than gold.[97]"

      Even worse;
      " The amount of lead in the universe is slowly increasing[98] as most heavier atoms (all of which are unstable) gradually decay to lead.[99] The abundance of lead in the Solar System since its for

    • "But Mom, Billy got to lick the lead cables; why can't I lick the lead cables too?"

  • I smell something fishy (Score:4, Insightful)

    by MpVpRb ( 1423381 ) on Friday July 14, 2023 @05:37PM (#63686825)

    The telcos really, really want to get rid of wired telephones and force everybody to use wireless. Methinks this is a sneaky way to use "environmental safety" as an excuse to destroy the wired telephone network

    • Re:I smell something fishy (Score:4, Insightful)

      by vivian ( 156520 ) on Friday July 14, 2023 @05:43PM (#63686855)

      The telcos really, really want to get rid of wired telephones and force everybody to use wireless.

      More likely it is an effort to make it a public health issue that the government will then declare is an environmental disaster and make it an EPA superfund issue, allowing the telecos to get paid taxpayer money to upgrade those lines to fiber instead of having to pay for it themselves.

      • More likely it is an effort to make it a public health issue that the government will then declare is an environmental disaster and make it an EPA superfund issue, allowing the telecos to get paid taxpayer money to upgrade those lines to fiber instead of having to pay for it themselves.

        Here's what I'd like to see instead: Make it a requirement that any of the telcos that are responsible for these lead-lined cables be ineligible to receive the $40 billion in broadband funding [slashdot.org] until those cables are removed.

        • We both know that the politicians will quite literally do the opposite of your good idea. As the poster above you said, this will be turned into another way for telecommunication companies to take in more of our tax dollars and very likely still won't be held accountable for the use of said money.

          Then in another ten years, they will say they need more money to remove these wires. Maybe they can setup a cycle so every 5 years they can get money for broadband then 5 years later money for lead removal and just

      • It's not even an upgrade. The fiber was already run alongside the existing lead-sheathed cables. The telcos didn't remove the lead cable because how do you "safely" remove those cables? With the existing regulations, I can't think of a way to remove those cables that would release lead into the environment at some level. Fishing for Superfund money does seem likely.
      • I'm going with this one.
        Anytime a Capitalist can profit from Socialism, here he is, hat in hand.

    • Re: I smell something fishy (Score:5, Insightful)

      by blastard ( 816262 ) on Friday July 14, 2023 @05:47PM (#63686869)

      You may be on to something. Somehow we urgently need to get rid of wires with lead on them that leach a small amount into adjacent soil. Yet we drag our feet on full lead pipes supplying water to houses with children in them. Which is going to lead to worse public health outcomes. I doubt the health bang for the buck is as good for removing these wires as removing lead supply lines.
      But if you can gin up a controversy and get the feds to pay to rip them out. BONUS!

    • Lead lined cables haven't been in use for a long, long time. Which means none of the telcos that exist today are companies "responsible" for putting them there, that had to have been Ma Bell back when it was a government-sanctioned, hyper-regulated monopoly that basically acted like an arm of government. Until they decided it was too big and broke it up. So in this case, it doesn't seem all that outlandish to put it on government to clean up the mess.

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by quonset ( 4839537 )

        Which means none of the telcos that exist today are companies "responsible" for putting them there

        All these companies are the result of breaking up Ma Bell and so are still responsible for the clean up. They came from the parent and in this case, inherit the sins of the father.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by PPH ( 736903 )

          All these companies are the result of breaking up Ma Bell and so are still responsible for the clean up.

          But to what degree? Some companies got the data centers, microwave towers and other assets which may have little to do with lead-wrapped distribution circuits. Are you going to apportion the liability purely on dollar value at the time of the breakup?

          • Some companies also received the right-of-ways that those cables are occupying. They are responsible for tiny strips of land and profit from leasing space on their "land." Shouldn't they be forced to maintain their land in a responsible way?

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by PPH ( 736903 )

              Most utilities are installed on public rights-of-way. Or on easements on private property. They don't (and never did) hold title to that property.

      • Re:Something else fishy (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Fallen Kell ( 165468 ) on Friday July 14, 2023 @06:32PM (#63686965)
        Well, not really... Ma Bell was split into multiple companies, it wasn't dissolved/bankrupted and closed. Now, yes, some of those sub-companies that it was split into have since been bought up, but the liabilities went with them when they were purchased. So AT&T Bell Systems was made into the "Baby Bells":
        Ameritech
        AT&T
        Bell Atlantic
        BellSouth
        NYNEX
        PacificTelesis
        Southwest Bell (later renamed SBC Communications)
        US West

        I know this because that is how I ended up with stock in all those companies as my Grandfather bought me original stock into AT&T Bell Systems when I was born, which was pre-breakup. Over the years, SBC essentially bought up most of those (Ameritech, AT&T, BellSouth, and Pacific Telesis), and renamed themselves AT&T (since that was the original company name that had a lot more perceived marketing history and general public awareness of the brand). Bell Atlantic bought up NYNEX, and another company (not part of the original "Baby Bells") and renamed to "Verizon". And "US West", was bought by "QWEST", which was bought by "Century Link", which renamed themselves to "Lumen Technologies".

        I only have stock in AT&T and Verizon, I believe when Century Link bought up QWEST, they paid out the stock holders instead issuing new shares of Century Link stock to QWEST stock holders.

    • I'll assume if this was buried decades ago they aren't talking about fiber optic cables. If that's the case they need to dig these up and replace them with fiber anyways. Maybe this is a scam to get the government to partially fund upgrading their network through environmental pressure.

      • They don't replace, they retire and leave in place - it is much cheaper for the bottom line. Most of these lines are no longer in service.

        Reads more like a hit piece though. Stock traders were busy one way or the other.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by PPH ( 736903 )

          They don't replace, they retire and leave in place

          Normally, yes. But in this case, the object is to get the cables out of the ground and off the poles. They may have to go back and locate some long abandoned cable runs in order to dig them up.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by sjames ( 1099 )

          Find a way to offer cheap internet service on the abandoned lines and watch how fast they move to claim they were never actually abandoned...

          Then hit them up for the lead abatement and watch how quickly they argue the opposite, possibly in the same courtroom.

          Better yet, try both cases in the same courtroom and watch the legal teams struggle not to slip up.

    • The telcos really, really want to get rid of wired telephones and force everybody to use wireless.

      What kind of nonsense is this? Why would they do that? Most telcos love the idea of charging you twice, once for a limited 5G connection, and again because you just know your house should have a wire going to it.

      Your conspiracy makes zero sense. Telcos make a significant profit of the old telephone network. Any lost customer there will translate to no new customer elsewhere thanks to mobile phone saturation in the USA being as close to 100% as to not be a market worth chasing.

    • "...and force everybody to use wireless"

      A lot of telcos want to get rid of copper and replace it with fiber optic cables. The bandwidth capacity of fiber far exceeds copper or wireless, and almost all services available on copper can be reproduced on fiber. Wireless or cellular hubs are ultimately served/connected by fiber, so fiber is the core of communications networks going forward.

  • replace them with fiber cables!

  • Don't lick them! Problem solved! Hooray!

  • J.P. Morgan ananlyst Philip Cusick has downgraded AT&T [marketwatch.com] as a result of this (and lower projected growth).

    “We see the potential liability as an unquantifiable, long- term overhang for the stock, which adds to the risk premium and drives much of our price target reduction,” Cusick said.

  • put $ up front (or during operations) for doing clean up work when things are installed on public lands.
    This should be done on EVERYTHING, such as Telephone wires, fiber, coax, power lines, mines, wells, etc.
    We need to do this with all industries.
    The other one would be to require $ during operations for companies that have hazmat usage. The ONLY industry that America requires this of, is the nuclear industry. It is the only one in which 100% of its operating costs are covered. We need all of these to c

    • put $ up front (or during operations) for doing clean up work when things are installed on public lands.

      How do you put up dollars for a completely unknown risk? Lead wasn't known to be dangerous or degrade at the time it was used. Its use was seen as having only benefits and was used all over the place (and in some cases still is for its chemical resistance).

      This should be done on EVERYTHING, such as Telephone wires, fiber, coax, power lines, mines, wells, etc.

      No. It should be put on things based on the project environmental assessment. It makes zero sense to put it on telephone wires, fibre, coax and power lines. They can be left in place virtually without any downside. It makes a lot of sense to put it on min

      • Lead has been known to be toxic for at least 2000 years.

        The risk was ignored because profits.

    • You guys always crack me up with your Stick it to the Man nonsense. Go ahead, the watch as our phone and internet bills go up commensurately. Consumers pay for this, not the companies.

  • Lead lined aqueducts could have been a part cause of the downfall of the Roman Empire.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by _merlin ( 160982 )

      Not likely. As long as the water is basic (pH higher than 7.0), calcium compounds will rapidly build up on the lead, so the water doesn't actually make contact with it. It's only when the water is acidic that you need to worry. There's still lots of lead piping in the US.

  • Read the whole article (Score:5, Interesting)

    by RightwingNutjob ( 1302813 ) on Friday July 14, 2023 @08:03PM (#63687117)

    WSJ left the juicy bits to almost the end: many of these cables are buried or embedded so deep in the urban infrastructure that removing them might release more lead than leaving them be.

    Try lawyering out of that one, Comrade Markey.

  • There is no way on God's green earth that they have maps showing where all the leaded cables are buried. I'm willing to bet that any maps for where any cables were buried over 25 years ago are suspect. Lots of companies that laid the cable are gone or absorbed, and record preservation and continuity during acquisition is sketchy at best.

    In the absence of these maps I do not know what people think the plan will be. Soil sampling? Maybe, although the US is covered in places where lead contamination will be pr

  • Karen's come is all genders and races.. generally they have no idea what they are talking about but will loudly yell that something must be done about it and now!
  • Wonder whether the amount earmarked for this dubious health risk is more than that for combatting climate change?

  • Much about the mindset behind legacy lead cable can be found in the 1936 Bell System Technical Journal (48 MB PDF) linked below. The material of most direct interest begins at page 603 (printed page number within year), around 204 PDF page number. Mindset: find something that works, scale it up, deploy, observe and analyze failures and shortcomings, improve, scale it way up, produce and deploy a lot of it. Corrosion of lead is a topic of acute interest, not for the environmental effect, but for the elect

  • Back when this stuff was put into the ground, the World at large was ignorant of the effects that lead has on human health. These cable designs were very likely approved by some government level entity ( probably the FCC ) and utilized throughout the industry.

    I'm sure if you look hard enough, many of the things we did during this time period are now considered quite detrimental to human health.

    So, I suppose the question becomes:

    Who gets to pay for the cleanup ? ( The industry who used it, or the agency wh

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by PPH ( 736903 )

      the World at large was ignorant of the effects that lead has on human health

      No. It has been understood for thousands of years. Many people (including quite a few here) probably grew up with lead plumbing and paint and suffered no ill effects. What we seem to have is a growing population of people (children in particular) who insist on chewing on painted wood or eating dirt in gardens covered with TEL.

  • What was the engineering advantage of using lead sheathing on these cables in the first place?

    • It is very slow sacrificial anode in most soil types. When it does corrode forms surface oxides that really dont react with 99% of situations. It is also dirt cheap except for the weight in shipping when you also are mining copper. It kills organisms that attempt to live on it at about the same rate as copper. It is copatable with copper and conductive for EMI and lighting protection. It melts at tempters compatible with hand tools and blow torches make fast work of it to mold it at the job site, it
    • See note "Industrial history" above for 1930s Bell System Technical Journal articles that give the development history and engineering issues discovered. When I was quite young, a telco guy who lived across the street explained the big scary burners and metal splashes that were happening at the nearby utility pole.

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