Old telecom cables emit high levels of lead in Portland neighborhoods
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A lead-sheathed telecom cable is identified by a single strand and hanging support line. Photo: Oregon State University
Lead levels found in moss from older Portland neighborhoods are 19 times higher on average than the lead levels in moss sourced in rural, surrounding communities, according to a new Oregon State University study that examined the prevalence of lead-sheathed telecom cables in the city.
Why it matters: Exposure to lead can have long-term and irreversible impacts on the brain, lungs, nervous system, heart and kidneys.
- Children are more vulnerable to lead poisoning than adults because their bodies are still developing, according to the CDC, and could lead to cognitive and behavioral health issues.
Threat level: Researchers do not know just how many lead-sheathed telecom cables there are throughout Portland, but were able to pinpoint high, elevated levels of lead coming from these types of cables versus other sources, like leaded gasoline emissions.
What they're saying: "In Portland, I'm shocked at just how many neighborhoods they're present in," Alyssa Shiel, a geochemist at OSU, and the study's lead author, told Axios. "And lead does a good job at sticking around."
Context: Most of Portland's old telecom cables were installed from the late 1800s till around 1950, according to Shiel, and were used for telephone landlines, elevators, fax machines, and old alarm systems.
What they did: Inspired by a Wall Street Journal report last year that found telecom giants AT&T and Verizon owned a "sprawling network" of unused, degrading lead telephone cables in cities across America, Shiel set out to test the aging equipment's impact on the environment.
- Together with the USDA Forest Service's Sarah Jovan, they collected moss samples from trees and telephone poles in Portland where the old cables were located or recently removed by driving around or using Google Maps to find them.
- Moss has a high surface area and absorbs contaminants from the air, providing a more comprehensive picture of lead pollution compared to short-term air monitoring, Shiel said.
What they found: Older Portland neighborhoods — those annexed before 1960, which includes much of the city — showed much higher concentrations of lead than samples taken from rural areas near Miller Woods, Corvallis' McDonald Forest and Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge.
- Using a chemical fingerprinting method, researchers determined that while lead gasoline is still prevalent in many neighborhoods, the highest concentrations of lead were found within one yard of a lead-sheathed cable.
What's next: Right now there is no effort to rid the city of these old utility equipment — that requires tracking down each tower's owner — but Shiel is working to figure out how much lead is being spread from the overhead cables to the surfaces below via rainfall.
- She is also in contact with Oregon Health Authority, the state's Public Utility Commission and Multnomah County Health Department to share the study's findings.