US EPA plans to hold meetings with AT&T, Verizon on lead telecom cables

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Thursday it is seeking meetings this month with AT&T and Verizon as it continues to closely review the potential impact of lead-containing telecommunications cables.

EPA has conducted independent sampling in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Louisiana and to date has seen “no immediate threats that would require emergency or urgent removal actions,” the agency said, adding it expects to collect more data early this year to better characterize concentrations of lead near cables.