Abandoned telephone cables are contaminating soil and waterways throughout the U.S. with toxic lead, according to an in-depth report from the Wall Street Journal. The investigation found thousands of lead-covered cables left behind by major telecom companies have been polluting the environment for decades, posing a hidden threat to communities from coast to coast. The worst part is that these companies knew the dangers of these toxic cables, yet didn’t do anything about the potential health risk.

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