7 Ways Telco Operators Can Approach Lead Cable Claims

In July, the Wall Street Journal published an in-depth investigative series titled "Lead Legacy." After months of investigating, the WSJ claimed that telecommunication companies have known for decades that lead-wrapped cables—more than 2,000 in total—proliferate in their vast networks running underwater, in the soil and overhead on poles.

Lead-sheathed cables were the industry norm from the 1880s until the 1960s, and remnants of this legacy infrastructure remain in place. However, the reporting questions whether the operators have taken proper steps to mitigate safety issues and the extent to which these cables pose a threat.

Operators responded with evidence seeking to demonstrate that the cables are not a public health risk nor a major contributor to environmental lead exposure.