AT&T and Verizon are suspected of harming the health of citizens

The Justice Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suspect the largest operators AT&T and Verizon of ignoring the problem of environmental pollution from old lead-jacketed cables.

The agencies are investigating the potential health and environmental risks posed by a network of toxic lead-sheathed telecommunications cables across the U.S. and whether the telecom giants intentionally ignored the potential risks. AT&T and Verizon are expected to provide data on “ongoing inspections, environmental sampling, plans for future inspections, cables and infrastructure within 10 days.”

Earlier, The Wall Street Journal accused several telecom companies of failing to use and maintain more than 2,000 lead-lined cables that pollute water, soil and air. At that time, the journalists believed that the management of the companies deliberately disregarded the potential risks to the environment and the health of citizens, as well as neglected to provide proper equipment and medical support for their employees working with cables.

AT&T and Verizon have already indicated their willingness to provide all the necessary information, as well as their willingness to cooperate with the agencies. According to the EPA’s plans, the safety of locations near children will be assessed first.

You may be interested: NASA has started to create a nuclear rocket engine for flights to Mars