The telecom industry began using lead back in the 1880s as a protective covering. At the time, lead was understood to be the most reliable material to protect and insulate the interior copper wires providing the critical communications infrastructure the public relied on.

Generally, the U.S. telecom industry began to phase out placement of new lead-clad telecom cables in the 1950s, after developing a new type of sheathing to protect the interior copper wires. But lead-clad cables were foundational to the growth of telephone networks, setting the stage for today’s communications infrastructure. In many cases, these cables are still in use today to provide vital communications services across the country.

Lead is a naturally occurring element. Not only is it found in the environment, but about 10 billion pounds of lead are mined annually for use in a number of consumer products and industrial processes like fishing gear, ammunition, car batteries, electricity generation and more.
 


AT&T's Commitment to Health & Safety

We have no higher priority than protecting the health, safety, and environment of our employees, our customers, and the communities we serve. Here are just a few facts about that commitment:

Management

Our policy is to manage the lead-clad cables in our network in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

We have not seen evidence that lead-clad cables are a significant cause of lead exposure or the cause of a public health issue.

Best Practices

We follow industry-wide best practices to maintain this infrastructure in a way that’s safe for all based on established science.

The scientific literature and reliable studies in the U.S. and abroad, including recent testing, give no reason to believe that these cables pose a public health risk or a risk to workers when appropriate safety measures are in place.

Safety

We prioritize the safety of our people. 

When our employees need to be working with lead-clad cables, we have policies and procedures in place that are designed to protect them.

We take our responsibility to properly maintain our lead-clad cables very seriously
and have been proactive in focusing on the safety of our infrastructure.
 
Among other things we are: 
Inspecting our lead-clad cable locations and conducting maintenance as needed.
Conducting environmental testing near lead-clad cables and sharing the results with the EPA.
Offering blood lead level testing to employees who work on or have contact with lead-clad cables, at no cost.


 

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Testing Results

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New York

Temple Park in Wappingers Falls, NY, reopened after soil analysis conducted by the state of New York showed no evidence of elevated or widespread contamination and the park was safe for public use.

New Jersey

Based on its testing of soil near telecom cables in West Orange, NJ, the EPA announced that "there are no immediate threats to the health of people nearby."

Lake Tahoe

Tests of the underwater cables in Lake Tahoe found that the lead-clad cables in the lake do not pose a public health concern.

Louisiana

The EPA tested soil, sediment and water in multiple locations in Louisiana and found "no immediate threats requiring prompt action to protect the health of people nearby."

Pennsylvania

In Coal Center and California, PA, the EPA tested soil near telecom cables for lead and found "there are no threats to the health of people nearby that would warrant an immediate EPA response."


 

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Facts on Lead-Clad Cables

Lead is a naturally occurring element found in the environment and in an array of products. Given the many potential sources, the presence of lead in soil, sediment, or bodies of water alone is not sufficient to conclude that the source of lead is telecom cables.

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Many underground lead-clad cables are encased in conduit.
  • There is little to no chance of someone coming in contact with a lead-clad cable buried under the ground.
  • Conduit acts as an additional barrier to prevent lead-clad cables from exposure to the soil.

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Aerial lead-clad cables do not rust, instead they form a gray coating that acts as a barrier.
  • Aerial cables are high above the ground, generally out of reach to the public.
  • Undisturbed, aerial lead-clad cables do not typically release lead into the air.

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Underwater lead-clad cables in lakes or rivers are typically wrapped in plastic, nylon, or similar material.
  • Lead typically does not dissolve in water.
  • It is unlikely people will be exposed to lead-clad cables located deep underwater.

Get more facts at USTelecom's website


 

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Your Questions Answered 

Lead-clad cables were foundational to the growth of telephone networks beginning in the 1880s. At the time, lead was understood to be the most reliable material to protect and insulate the interior copper wires providing the critical communications infrastructure the public relied on – so strong that the services running through some of those telecom cables remain in use to this day.

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Lead-clad cables make up a small percentage of our network infrastructure today. We estimate that lead-clad cables represent less than 10% of the copper footprint, and many of the cables remain in active service. More than two-thirds of lead-clad cabling is either buried or in conduit, followed by aerial cable, and with a very small portion running underwater. Generally, the U.S. telecommunications industry phased out the placement of new lead-clad telecom cables in the 1950s, after developing a new type of sheathing to protect the interior copper.

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Most of our employees generally do not perform work on lead-clad cables. Those who perform maintenance work on these cables do so on an infrequent basis and for short durations.

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When it comes to our team’s safety, our safety policies are designed to follow applicable laws and regulations, the guidance of work-safety authorities, and the established science.

We also offer blood testing to workers who work on or have come into contact with lead-clad cables, at no cost.

In partnership with the industry, we are committed to assessing any new scientific data and working cooperatively with stakeholders to address any safety concerns. For more information, visit telecomcablefacts.com.

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No. We have always maintained that lead-clad telecommunications cables in Lake Tahoe pose no danger to those who work and play in its waters. In 2021, we agreed to remove them simply to avoid protracted litigation. The cables will now be maintained in place to preserve evidence, permit further analysis by qualified and independent interested parties and allow the safety of these cables to be analyzed through objective scientific evidence rather than sensationalized media coverage.

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In July 2023, The Wall Street Journal raised questions about the safety of lead-clad telecom cables in a series of sensationalized media reports.  Specifically, the Journal reports allege that lead-clad telecom cables pose a nationwide public health risk. The Journal’s allegations are contrary to the scientific literature and studies and have been more recently contradicted by numerous independent third-party analyses.  We have repeatedly asked the Journal to share the methodologies and underlying data to the test results so that we could better understand how they reached their conclusions, but they have, thus far, refused.

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Yes, we performed in-person site visits where lead-clad cables are present and conducted testing. The test results confirmed there’s no nationwide public health risk.

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We took the Wall Street Journal reports seriously and hired independent experts to conduct scientifically valid environmental tests at locations they identified. We believe that the Journal’s sampling was not performed by disinterested, objective experts, but by individuals with clear agendas and conflicts of interest. Some are even the same individuals who prompted the plaintiff to file the Lake Tahoe lawsuit against AT&T. We have repeatedly asked the Journal to share its full data, methodology, sampling and testing results so that we can understand how they reached their conclusions, but they have refused.

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What Others Are Saying

RealClear Health: The Flawed Research Behind the Wall Street Journal’s Series 'America is Wrapped in Miles of Toxic Lead Cable' (December 6, 2023)

Law360: Test Results Signal Poor Odds for Lead Cables Litigation (October 27, 2023)

Reuters: US EPA says no immediate lead health threats from telecom cables (September 17, 2023) 

 

New York Law Journal: The Wall Street Journal Investigative Series on Lead Cables: A Surprising Swing and Miss, and a Cautionary Tale for the Plaintiffs’ Bar (September 17, 2023)

Washington Times: Wall Street Journal series on lead cables is a travesty of journalism (August 30, 2023)

DC Journal: Wall Street Journal Invents a Public Health Calamity (August 29, 2023)

RealClearHealth: Bad Science and Pressure Groups Create a Potentially Toxic Mix (August 16, 2023)

Times Union: State says Wappingers Falls park can reopen after finding no health risk from lead cables (August 10, 2023)

The Toronto Star: U.S. report sparks investor concerns about old Canadian telephone wires coated in toxic lead (August 3, 2023)

MarketWatch: AT&T says recent tests at two sites with lead-clad cables did not find health risks (July 26, 2023)

The Daily Caller: WSJ Failed To Disclose Its Lead Cable Investigative Report Was Funded By Environmentalist Group (July 25, 2023)

CNBC: The existence of lead-sheathed cables does not equate to a public health risk, says US Telecom CEO (July 21, 2023)

CWA: CWA Statement on Lead Exposure Testing for Telecommunications Workers (July 20, 2023)

Forbes: Unpacking Lead-Clad U.S. Telecom Cable Concern (July 20, 2023)

Reuters: AT&T does not intend to immediately remove lead cables from Lake Tahoe (July 18, 2023)

Bloomberg: AT&T Says Less Than 10% of Its Network Has Lead Covered Cables (July 18, 2023)

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By clicking these links, you are leaving AT&T’s website. Providing these links should not be construed as endorsing or updating any of the information provided by the external site.
 


For AT&T media inquiries, contact TelecomCables@list.att.com

For all other inquiries, contact TelecomCables@ustelecom.org


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