For more than 100 years, the telecommunications industry has connected people, businesses, communities, and first responders, while supporting our nation’s economy and critical infrastructure needs.
The use of lead alloys in telecom cables started in the 1880s as a way to sheath and protect copper wires from exposure to the elements because lead is very stable and does not rust. Lead was considered a state-of-the-art material and strong enough to guard the interior copper wires providing the critical communications infrastructure the public relied on – so strong that some of these telecom cables remain in use to this day.
The industry began to phase out placement of new lead-sheathed telecom cables in the 1950s, after developing a new type of sheathing. Some legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables still provide customer voice and data services, including connecting 911 service, fire alarms, and other central monitoring stations.
The telecommunications industry continues to invest in upgrading the telecom network, including by installing fiber optic cables. The industry began to phase out placement of new lead-sheathed telecom cables in the 1950s, after developing a new type of sheathing. Some legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables still provide customer voice and data services, including connecting 911 service, fire alarms, and other central monitoring stations.
As with many other types of infrastructure, such as rail lines and pipelines, in some situations, telecom cables are appropriately left in place when no longer in current use and may stand by to be used if and when needed.
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. And safe work practices within the telecommunications industry have proven effective in reducing potential lead exposures to workers.
Risks associated with legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables are mitigated by the nature of the material, their location, coatings on them, conduits surrounding them and other factors. Telecom cables are generally in locations that minimize the potential for public contact.
Many considerations go into determining whether legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables should be removed or should be left in place, including those regarding the safety of workers who must handle the cables, potential impacts on the environment, the age and composition of the cables, their geographic location, and customer needs as well as the needs of the business and infrastructure demands.
The industry is subject to local, state, and federal environmental and health and safety laws and regulations.
Our industry remains committed to prioritizing worker and community safety. We stand ready to engage constructively on this issue.
The telecommunications industry takes the health and safety of our workers, neighbors, and the communities in which we live and operate very seriously. The industry prioritizes worker safety through policies and procedures based on applicable laws and regulations. As a part of those efforts, we also provide training, personal protective equipment or other equipment, and a means to report safety-related incidents and concerns to internal compliance teams to support the safety of our workers.
When underground, underwater, or suspended from telephone poles, legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables are not directly accessible to the general public. Further, many are either coated or surrounded by an additional protective layer, so they do not directly contact the environment (i.e., soil or water).
Our industry remains committed to prioritizing worker and community safety. We stand ready to engage constructively on this issue.
Yes. Legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables make up a small portion of the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure network. Telecom cables are generally in locations that minimize the potential for public contact.
Each company manages its own worker health, safety, and industrial hygiene program and several telecom companies provide voluntary lead testing to employees.
Additionally, several telecom companies are conducting additional testing for lead at specific locations.
We have not seen, nor have U.S. regulators identified, evidence that legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables are a leading cause of lead exposure or the cause of a public health issue. 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.
The presence of lead in soil, sediment, or water is not sufficient to conclude that the source of lead is telecom cables.
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.
Additionally, the existence of lead-sheathing on telecom cables does not equate to lead exposure. According to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), most human exposure to lead occurs through inhalation and ingestion.
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 legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables. 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 legacy 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.
Legacy lead-sheathed telecom cables make up a small portion of the U.S. telecommunications infrastructure network and, where they exist, they are generally in locations that minimize the potential for public contact.
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.
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 requires screening through interviews and objective observations regarding historic and current personal exposure opportunities at work, home, and involving hobbies and other potential sources.