;)
September 8th, 2023
Recent reporting by the Wall Street Journal reveals that thousands of lead-covered cables abandoned by major telecommunications companies, including AT&T and Verizon, have been and are still actively contaminating soil and waterways throughout the United States with toxic lead. Researchers involved in this investigation have tested hundreds of sites all over the country that reveal lead contamination near playgrounds, schools, and major waterways, in concentrations as much as 2500+ times the EPA limit for lead and drinking water. Such contamination poses major neurological and other health risks for swimmers, wildlife, and entire communities, with children being among the most susceptible.
Decades of efforts have been spent to eliminate lead from homes, paint, gasoline, and water lines, yet lead-coated phone cables remain mostly untouched. AT&T settled a lawsuit two years ago that involved eight miles of degrading phone cables that are leaching lead into a lake that straddles California and Nevada. Part of that settlement required AT&T to remove the cable. However, it is reported that, to date, AT&T has failed to remove the cable, allowing years of additional contamination.
This continued lack of redress poses a systemic risk to virtually the entire U.S. population. Lead is a potent toxin that accumulates in the body over time and can cause harmful effects at even small doses. Lead in the body is especially damaging to the brain, liver, kidneys, and bones. Infants and children exposed to lead can have profoundly impaired development of their brains and nervous systems that can result in a host of behavioral, learning, and other neurological problems.
If you believe that you or a loved one is being impacted by lead poisoning from overhead or underground phone cables near your home, contact your local officials and your state and federal politicians and demand action to abate this unnecessary but profoundly dangerous hazard and contact an experienced law firm to further explore your rights.
