Letter Text (PDF)

Washington (June 18, 2025) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today wrote to Hans Vestberg, Chairman and CEO of Verizon, following the publication of a health evaluation from the National Institutes of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) showing extremely high concentrations of toxic lead at Verizon worksites and elevated levels of lead in workers’ blood. In 2023, an extensive Wall Street Journal investigation documented a sprawling nationwide network of legacy lead-sheathed cables that telecommunications companies—including Verizon—installed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and left underground, underwater, and overhead.

In the letter the Senator writes, “It is Verizon’s responsibility—both moral and legal—to safeguard the well-being of its workers and the communities in which it operates. The exposure of telecom workers in Massachusetts to lead-laced environments, including manholes where sediment contained lead concentrations as high as 30,000 parts per million—150 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) current safety limit—demands the highest level of attention from Verizon. Verizon must act swiftly to eliminate lead exposure from its operations, remediate affected environments, and commit to full transparency and accountability moving forward.”

Senator Markey continues, “Most recently, NIOSH completed a Health Hazard Evaluation confirming serious occupational exposures among Verizon workers in Massachusetts; we understand a copy of the final report has been provided to Verizon. NIOSH found that these workers were repeatedly exposed to lead because inadequate safety procedures in place failed to protect them. NIOSH also reviewed past blood-level testing by workers, which found examples of workers with elevated blood lead levels according to federal safety guidelines; this suggests recent worker exposure at unsafe levels of lead. Additionally, NIOSH hygienists found lead on workers hands, boots, and in their trucks, suggesting many may be unknowingly carrying home a substance that could endanger their families. Children are particularly sensitive to lead, with even low levels of exposure resulting in developmental delays, difficulty learning, and behavioral issues.”

Senator Markey requests responses by July 9, 2025, to questions including:

• What is the status of Verizon’s efforts to compile a comprehensive inventory, including geographic mapping, of all known and suspected lead-sheathed cables it owns or for which it is responsible?
• What steps has Verizon taken since the publication of the Wall Street Journal investigation to:
• (a) Identify and monitor worker exposure to lead from lead-sheathed telecommunications cables?
• (b) Notify and protect workers performing duties in or near areas with lead-sheathed cables?
• (c) Inform the public, especially in environmental justice communities, about risks posed by lead-sheathed cables, and field and respond to concerns?
• (d) Test for and remediate environmental contamination around legacy infrastructure?
• (e) Provide medical monitoring, treatment, or compensation for lead-exposed workers?
• What is the status of any investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the EPA, or OSHA into Verizon’s handling of its lead-sheathed cables?
• Will Verizon commit to fully implementing all the NIOSH recommendations, including conducting routine BLL testing and retrofitting hygiene and PPE protocols across all affected facilities? Which recommendations, if any, has Verizon already implemented? What is the status of recommendations not yet implemented?
• Has Verizon conducted its own personal air sampling at work sites containing lead-sheathed cables? If so, please provide the results by year and location of the tests.
• (a) Does Verizon have an explanation for the personal air sample tested by NIOSH that exceeded OSHA limits?
• (b) How did Verizon previously determine whether to conduct a personal air sampling test?
• Has Verizon conducted its own manhole-soil-sediment testing at worksites containing lead-sheathed cables? Does Verizon have an explanation for the bulk sediment sampled that exceeded 30,000 ppm for lead?
• Why was Verizon not providing its workers in Massachusetts with lead removal wipes prior to the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation? Why did Verizon start to provide them—in place of wet wipes—between the first and second NIOSH site visits?
• What internal accountability measures is Verizon adopting to ensure executive leadership is fully informed and responsive to worker safety concerns related to lead exposure from legacy telecommunications cables?

In February 2024, Senator Markey hosted a roundtable event in Chicopee, Massachusetts, along with state and local elected officials, public health leaders, and occupational safety and environmental experts, to discuss the environmental, public health, and occupational safety concerns posed by lead-sheathed telecommunications cables.

In July 2023, Senator Markey, author of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, wrote to the United States Telecom Association (USTelecom) demanding answers to questions raised by the Wall Street Journal investigation, which found detectable levels of lead contamination in water and soil samples collected near lead-sheathed cables across the country.

###