Our industry remains committed to prioritizing worker and community safety. We have not seen, nor have regulators identified, evidence that lead-sheathed telecom cables are a leading cause of lead exposure or the cause of a public health issue. And recent federal, state, and industry lead testing has reinforced this point. Safe work practices within the telecommunications industry have also proven effective in reducing potential lead exposures to workers.
Lead-sheathed telecom cables make up a small portion of the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure network. Risks associated with lead-sheathed telecom cables are also limited by the nature of the material, their location, coatings on them, conduits surrounding them and other factors.
The industry is subject to local, state, and federal environmental and health and safety laws and regulations.
Yes. In addition to continuing the industry’s longstanding robust procedures to protect employees who work around lead, several telecom companies also provide voluntary testing, at no cost, to employees. Each company manages its own worker health, safety, and industrial hygiene program.
We have not seen, nor have U.S. regulators identified, evidence that lead-sheathed telecom cables are a leading cause of lead exposure or the cause of a public health issue. And recent federal, state, and industry lead testing has reinforced this point.
Lead-sheathed telecom cables make up a small portion of the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure network.
The telecommunications industry is dedicated to supporting public health, environmental protection, and worker safety. And safe work practices within the telecommunications industry have proven effective in reducing lead exposures to workers.
Regulators have been focused for decades on the primary and largest sources of lead in the environment like lead in motor fuels, industrial activities, lead dust from historic lead paint, lead in drinking water from historic distribution piping, and lead in household products, such as toys or jewelry. These efforts have been highly effective, bringing national population lead levels in human blood samples down nearly 95% from the levels in the 1970s across all age groups, according to the CDC.
We have not identified any scientific literature or government reports indicating that any public water supplier is exceeding the EPA standard for lead due to lead-sheathed telecom cables. On top of this, recent federal, state, and industry lead testing has shown that underwater and aerial lead cables do not pose an immediate threat to public health.
The EPA regulates public water suppliers that provide drinking water to households as well as commercial operations around the country. Suppliers are required to meet regulatory standards for various substances, including lead.
In contrast, a 2023 assessment by the EPA tracking lead in drinking water and the sources that supply public water to cities and towns found that over 9.2 million lead water service lines are still currently in use across the country.
We have not identified any scientific literature or government reports indicating that National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are exceeded for lead due to the presence of lead-sheathed telecom cables. The EPA establishes NAAQS, including for lead, that are designed to protect public health. Industrial sources are then subject to permits and regulations.
If you think you may have been at risk of lead-related health concerns, please contact your health professional.
Recent testing by federal and state authorities, as well as industry partners, has shown that underwater and aerial lead cables do not pose an immediate threat to public health.
Lead-sheathed telecom cables make up a small portion of the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure network.
Lead-sheathed telecom cables make up a small portion of the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure network. Individual companies manage the locations of company network infrastructure, including telecom cables. But publicly disclosing specific locations and other specific details related to essential elements of critical infrastructure may create security risks to our communities.
Recent federal, state, and industry lead testing has shown that underwater and aerial lead cables do not pose an immediate threat to public health.
Lead is present throughout the environment. The presence of lead in soil, sediment, or water is not sufficient to conclude that the source of lead is telecom cables. The primary and largest sources of lead in the environment include lead from historic leaded gasoline and lead paint, electricity generation, mining, manufacturing, and recycling of lead, lead in various industrial processes and consumer products such as car batteries in hundreds of millions of vehicles nationally, lead in jewelry and toys, lead in ammunition and fishing gear, and many others, not to mention naturally occurring lead in soil and water. In fact, about 10 billion pounds of lead is mined annually for use in a wide array of applications.
According to the EPA, about 70% of all lead in the air comes from piston-engine aircraft emissions. Other sources are industrial plants, such as lead smelters or waste incinerators.
According to the Department of Health & Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), most human exposure to lead occurs through inhalation and ingestion. Because lead is present throughout the environment, determining the potential source of human exposure is challenging.