Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered an investigation into the presence of lead-covered telecommunication cables across the state, and the potential lead contamination they may pose to communities.
The order comes on the heels of a bombshell investigation by the Wall Street Journal, which revealed that many telecommunication companies had abandoned vast networks of lead cables decades ago all over the United States, above and below ground and even in bodies of water. The cables are potentially a major but previously under-discussed source of lead contamination in New York and around the country.
