Continuing to respond to a bombshell Wall Street Journal report that the telecom industry has a huge, multibillion-dollar environmental problem to clean up with aging lead-lined cables, AT&T CEO John Stankey said during his company's Q2 earnings call Thursday that a deliberate review of the matter in conjunction with the EPA and other third parties is the most responsible way to evaluate to the situation.
“We’re very proud of our track record in addressing employee safety for those who perform maintenance and repair work on these cables,” Stankey said. “We take the concerns raised very seriously as there is no higher priority than the health and safety of our employees and the communities where we live and work, period.”
Also Read: Does the Telecom Industry Have an Exxon Valdez-Scale Problem on Its Hands With Toxic Lead Cables?
AT&T also said it will expand its existing lead-testing practices for employees involved in cable removal and add a voluntary testing program for any employee who has worked with lead-clad cables.
Verizon Communications CEO Hans Vestberg also addressed the situation during his company’s Q2 call on Tuesday, assuring investors that “the likelihood of exposure to lead from lead sheath cables is low,” and that because the cable does not go into individual homes or apartments, it is generally in locations that minimize the potential for public contact.
Vestberg said records are incomplete as to exactly how much of Verizon’s cable was made with lead sheathing, but it is a “small percentage.” Like AT&T, Verizon said it's working with a third party to conduct testing at sites that were identified by the media.
“It is far too soon to make any projection on what the potential financial impact might be to the company,” Vestberg added. “There are a number of unknowns in this area, including whether there is a health risk presented by undisturbed lead sheath cable, and if there is a risk, how that risk should be addressed.”
The report published by The Wall Street Journal alleged that as many as 2,000 aging lead-laid pipes could be leaching toxicity into the environment in places like Lake Tahoe, California.
WSJ also accused telecom companies of knowing about the lead-covered cables and their potential risks and failing to monitor or act on the potential health risks.
AT&T, which saw its stock plunge to a historic low following the report, has refuted the claims published by the WSJ regarding the Lake Tahoe region, saying in court documents that the results “differs dramatically from the expert testing commissioned by AT&T.”
A statement by U.S. Telecom via email reads, “The U.S. telecom industry prioritizes the health and safety of our communities and workers. We continue to engage with policymakers on this important matter to share relevant information as it becomes available. We will follow the existing science, which has not identified lead-sheathed telecom cables as a public health issue. And member companies will continue to gather information at specific locations and provide testing for employees.”
