[thomas_ma]

I've been following this series. It seems like the journalists are trying to make a scandal where there really isn't one. I don't see how buried cables if left undisturbed are really an issue at all. The ones in the water maybe, but even there how much lead can a single cable really leach into water such that it rises to an unhealthy level? Maybe the ones strung on poles are an issue, but even then--how much is lead really going to flake off an intact cable? Remember that in many parts of the country we still have lead water pipes and tons of lead-painted surfaces. What's the relative risk of these cables compared to, say, houses that kids live in that have accessible lead paint surfaces?

It does seem reasonable to ask that if a lead cable is overhead on poles and not in use anymore it should be pulled down. In general we shouldn't leave a ton of abandoned infrastructure up in the air on poles.

I can believe there are health issues for telco workers who historically worked with lead cables, and the telcos absolutely need to protect their current workforce from lead if they are regularly working around and disturbing this old infrastructure.

[StrictDabbler]

On the topic of relative risk, millions of Americans spend time at firing ranges breathing in aerosolized lead and covering themselves in lead dust. They of course wash their clothing in the same washing machine that launders their family's clothing.

Hunted meat contains a detectable level of lead, and pigs fed lead-hunted venison have a detectable rise in blood-lead levels within days. [1]

So a sub-group of the population regularly and deliberately exposes itself to quite a bit of lead. It's the largest risk factor for high blood levels in children. [2]

Seems like a potential problem. Might be worth switching to lead-free ammunition and considering what effect these decades of selective lead exposure may have had on our communities.

[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2669501/

[2] https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/higher-rates-of-f...

[wahern]

It's not mentioned in those two sources, but almost all firearm propellant primers contain lead as an additive. And to make matters worse, it's these exhaust gases that end up all over your hands and face.

I didn't know this until I took my kids to a shooting range in Reno. Before going I had read warnings to make sure to wash their hands afterward, but it was nuts how much residue ended up on our hands after shooting only a single box of rounds; and given the feel of it, likely heavily laced with lead or other metals. I don't think I'd ever take my kids to a gun range again unless I brought my own gun (with well-maintained parts) and used lead-free ammunition--most importantly lead-free primers.

AFAIU it's much easier to find non-leaded bullets than non-leaded primers, though neither is very popular. Until very recently all the discourse on lead exposure and contamination seems to have been focused on the bullet itself.

[germinalphrase]

“ Until very recently all the discourse on lead exposure and contamination seems to have been focused on the bullet itself.”

Not without reason. Animals hunted with lead bullets often leave lead fragments in the natural environment via gut piles (if recovered) or the carcass itself (if not recovered).

Lead poisoning is one of the leading causes for death for carrion birds (who eat the carcasses/gut piles) - such as the California Condor. Because of this, wildlife preservation groups - like the Peregrine Fund - have been vocal proponents of eliminating lead bullets.

[Vecr]

You should probably wear a P100 elastomeric respirator when firing guns and have a Nomex flight suit or something you wear only at the range and wash separately. I don't think a lot of people do it though.

[whatshisface]

Unless you're in the Mojave a buried cable is, so to speak, "in the water..." what do you think roots are there to do?

[CPLX]

Fishing weights come to mind, as do tire/wheel balancing weights.