Lieff Cabraser’s environmental law practice group is investigating multiple reports of highly toxic lead sheathing on telephone cables, which in some metro areas may “still have 50% lead cable,” according to at least one source. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, “For decades, AT&T, Verizon and other firms dating back to the old Bell System have known that the lead in their networks was a possible health risk to their workers and had the potential to leach into the nearby environment, according to documents and interviews with former employees.”

• Telecom companies knew their employees working with the cables regularly showed high amounts of lead in their blood since the 1970s;
• Environmental records show soil contamination;
• Government inspections prompted by worker complaints led to citations for lead exposure and other violations more than a dozen timse over four decades;
• AT&T officials themselves expressed concerns about worker exposure to lead.

Despite all of this, the telecom companies “have not meaningfully acted on potential health risks to the surrounding communities, or made efforts to monitor the [exposure and risks],” and there are no programs in place to remove or even assess the lead cables’ condition and status.

If you or a family member believe you may have been exposed to highly toxic lead in telephone communications cables, or if you want further information about the risks and your rights, including possible recovery, we urge you to use the form on this page to contact us today. There is no charge or obligation for our review of your potential case, and the information you provide will help us hold the telecom companies accountable for the dangers their alleged inattention and inaction have created in our shared environment.

Lieff Cabraser has a long history of leading litigation on behalf of those affected by disasters like oil spills, toxic discharges, and other environmental disasters. Our successful efforts on behalf of clients in these cases include the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico Explosion and Spill, the Plains and Amplify Energy Oil Spills in Southern California, multiple California wildfire cases, and water contamination cases across the U.S. Contact us today for more information on your rights and available remedies and remediations.