OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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We have identified a potential source of lead contamination in some Portland neighborhoods. Lead-sheathed telephone lines were installed from the late 1800s–1950s. Many of them have been replaced and removed, but some of them remain. Most areas in Portland do not have the older lead-sheathed cables as many of them have been, and continue to be, removed. 
We found higher levels of lead in older Portland neighborhoods (annexed to the city before 1916) compared to newer neighborhoods. Older Portland neighborhoods, and older neighborhoods across the country, are more likely to have lead paint, lead solder in plumbing, and other sources of lead contamination, including lead-sheathed telephone cables. The highest levels of environmental lead in our study were found in the immediate vicinity of lead-sheathed telephone cables.
While we don't yet have enough information to know if there is a danger of exposure from these cables, research suggests that lead is being leached by rain from these old lead-sheathed telephone lines and contaminating soil and other surfaces below the lines.
Finding a source of potential lead contamination does not automatically mean that you, your family, or your pets have been exposed to lead from these sources. The primary exposure pathways of concern are ingestion and inhalation of contaminated soil and dust. The first phase of our research focused on lead in moss from trees across the city. The next phase of our research will focus on soil testing in Portland neighborhoods with lead-sheathed telephone lines. We want to test the soil to determine if the soil lead levels are above the level of concern, and figure out if this could be a pathway to exposure.
If you answer yes to ANY of the following questions, you likely DO NOT live in a neighborhood with overhead lead-sheathed cables:
My telephone cables, or all utility cables, are not overhead on utility poles but buried underground.
Houses in my neighborhood were built in the 1960s or later.
Our map identifies the oldest Portland neighborhoods. Overhead lead-sheathed cables may be found outside the mapped area in neighborhoods with homes built before 1960. Here is a more detailed map showing Portland neighborhoods and when they were annexed by the city.
We have been in communication with the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and Multnomah County Health Department to discuss our research. We are planning more studies to assess potential exposure risks from these cables, in an ongoing partnership with local and state public health agencies.
We have been in communication with the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and Multnomah County Health Department to discuss our research. We worked with these agencies to identify resources for you to learn more about lead and ways to avoid it.
If you have lead-sheathed telephone lines in your neighborhood and are worried about lead exposure, you can get blood-tested for lead. Talk to your primary care provider.
If a lead-sheathed cable crosses over a part of your yard that you work or play in, there are a few things you can do. First, identify the area most likely to contain elevated levels of lead. To do this, find the area directly below the cable. Then, look at the three feet to either side. This will make a six-foot strip of ground beneath the line, that is the area most likely to be contaminated. 
If one of the lead-sheathed cables goes over your yard, you can test your soil. If lead levels are low, you can continue to use that area as you have been. If the lead levels are high, avoid gardening, digging or playing in the soil below the cable. If you have a lot of grass or groundcover, that limits the potential for exposure.
Is the area covered in concrete, stone, mulch, gravel, grass or bushes?
Areas that are well covered reduce the risk of exposure to lead in the soil. Leave the groundcover there, and do not remove it. If you do need to dig in the area, wet the soil well to avoid dust.
Is the area bare dirt?
Avoid gardening, playing, or working in this soil. If you regularly walk over this soil, take your shoes off before walking inside to avoid tracking the soil into your home.
Do
Consider getting your family tested for lead, especially if you have young children. Talk to your healthcare provider to learn more.
Get your soil tested for lead. Find out more in this Healthy Soils publication from the Oregon Health Authority. Accredited labs that provide testing for lead in soil can be found here.
If the soil in the area of concern is bare, consider laying down some groundcover such as mulch, bark or gravel. Avoid vegetative groundcover that would require digging in the soil. If the area is large, you may want to test the soil for lead contamination first, to see if the groundcover is even necessary.
Do not
Garden under the cables or in soils within a few feet of the cables.
Allow children to play on these soils.
Disturb the soil, thereby mobilizing dust that could be inhaled.
Carry potentially lead-contaminated soil into your home on shoes.
A blood lead test is the best way to find out if a child has been exposed to lead. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children who are at risk for lead exposure be tested. Risk factors are listed at their web page Testing for Lead Poisoning in Children. Parents and other caregivers should talk to their child's healthcare provider about the need for a test.
Learn more about lead poisoning and lead exposures in Oregon from the Oregon Health Authority’s web page Lead Poisoning in Oregon, or contact the OHA Lead Prevention Program at [email protected].
Children enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan or Medicaid are required to have a blood lead test at 12 and 24 months, or before age 6 if not tested earlier.
Historically, lead was used in many ways that we now know resulted in environmental contamination. Lead was used as a gasoline additive for over 60 years, and despite being banned in the US in 1996 is in large part responsible for the baseline level of environmental lead we see today. Lead paint and plumbing materials such as lead pipes and solder were also commonly used in houses and other buildings before being banned, and can still be potential sources of lead exposure in older homes.
More recently, we have learned that very old telephone cables used lead sheathing to protect the lines, some of which are still present in older neighborhoods.
(To learn more about lead, visit the Learn about Lead page on the US Environmental Protection Agency's website.)
According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, there are many ways that people can be exposed to heavy metals, and almost everyone is exposed to some level of environmental lead. It is found in all parts of our environment, including the air, soil, and water. Kids are the most vulnerable to the impacts of lead and also the most likely to be exposed. Lead exposure most commonly occurs through ingestion, such as from household dust contaminated with lead from chipping and peeling lead paint being consumed through normal hand-to-mouth activities. Lead-based paint is the major source of lead exposure in children in the US. Eating contaminated food and inhaling contaminated dust are also possible exposure pathways.
(For more information see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry web page ATSDR What Are Routes of Exposure to Lead?)
Our research team includes Dr. Alyssa Shiel, associate professor at Oregon State and EHSC member who studies heavy metals such as lead, US Forest Service research ecologist Sarah Jovan, and the Oregon State EHSC. We took samples of moss from trees in residential and recreational areas across Portland, OR in 2013 and 2023 and tested them for lead.
Mosses and lichens have been used for decades to assess the reach of metal emissions and changes in metal levels over time. The moss used in this study is an epiphyte meaning it lacks roots and grows in trees, receiving all moisture, nutrients, and metals from the air, precipitation, and dust. As a result, lead levels of this moss reflect atmospheric levels allowing it to be used as an inexpensive air monitor. The amount of lead in moss can represent lead accumulation over multiple years. Some of our samples were in proximity to overhead lead–sheathed telephone lines, and contained elevated levels of lead.
Lead levels in the moss from Portland were higher than moss from rural areas. This is similar to what has been seen in other urban areas, like San Francisco and Seattle. Most of the lead is likely from the historical use of leaded gasoline in cars.
We found higher levels of lead in older Portland neighborhoods (annexed to the city before 1916) compared to newer neighborhoods. Older Portland neighborhoods are more likely to have lead paint, lead solder in plumbing, and other sources of lead contamination, such as lead-sheathed telephone cables. The moss samples we collected in the immediate vicinity of lead-sheathed telephone cables had the highest levels of lead in our study. This moss is exposed to lead from the cables directly by lead-contaminated rain dripping off the cables and lead-contaminated soil and dust depositing on the moss. The next phase of our research will focus on soil testing as ingestion and inhalation of lead-contaminated soil and dust are the routes of exposure of primary concern.
Second, determine the age of your neighborhood. If you live in a neighborhood built in the 1960s or later, you are less likely to have these cables. If your house or other houses in your neighborhood were built before 1960, your neighborhood could have these cables.
If you are in an older neighborhood with overhead telephone cables, have a look at the pictures of old lead-sheathed telephone cables here to help you determine if they are in your neighborhood. These cables have been removed from many neighborhoods where they were previously present, and in some cases, replaced by newer plastic cables (mostly black).
If you do have bare soil in the affected areas, you could consider putting down a barrier layer such as grass or other plantings, mulch, or gravel.
You may also consider testing the soil. See this resource from OHA on how to test your soil and how to interpret the results once you get them. The US EPA maintains a list of accredited labs around the country that provide testing for lead in soil, paint chips, and dust wipes here. If you are interested in having your soil tested, we recommend contacting a few labs for prices and to discuss sample collection and shipping.
If your vegetable garden is planted in this area, consider this healthy gardening guidance from OHA: www.healthoregon.org/gardening.
If you or your children have been regularly working or playing in bare soil directly under one of these cables and soil testing shows concerning lead levels, you might consider blood lead testing through your healthcare provider, who may recommend follow-up actions based on the results. For children, this might include interventions from your local public health authority. If the tests show that you have been exposed to lead, it does not necessarily mean that the cables are the source of the lead you’ve been exposed to.
We are not sure, but there are many more houses with lead paint than there are houses with these telecommunications cables in their yards. Roadside soils are also much more widespread source of lead, since these soils contain lead deposited over time from back when lead was still added to vehicle fuel.
So far, we’ve only tested for lead in moss and a small number of soil samples. Based on these tests and other soil studies, we know lead from these cables can contaminate local soils and that lead contaminated soil and dust can become airborne. We do not know how this translates to exposures. The next phase of our research will focus on lead in soil, which is the way people could potentially be exposed to lead.
Yes, these cables are found in cities across the US. In Oregon, we have also found them in Eugene and Corvallis. The EPA has investigated locations of these cables in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana.
Residents concerned about lead cables running over or adjacent to their property may contact the utility provider directly or file a complaint with the Public Utility Commission (https://apps.puc.state.or.us/consumer/complaint.asp).
This study:
Shiel et al. (2024) Lead-sheathed telecom cables and historic leaded gasoline emissions substantially raise environmental lead levels in Portland, Oregon. Communication Earth & Environment. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01534-0
Other studies:
Caravanos, J., Landrigan, P.J., Nelson, B.K., Neisler, J.P., & Chang, H.Y. (2024) Measurement of Soil Lead Levels Adjacent to Lead-Sheathed Communications Cables. Environmental Health Perspectives 132, 037701. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14086
US EPA lead-sheathed telephone cable studies:
Louisiana: response.epa.gov/LALeadCable
West Orange, New Jersey: response.epa.gov/leadcablesNJ
California and Coal Center, Pennsylvania: response.epa.gov/CalandCoal
WSJ reporting:
Lead Legacy, A Wall Street Journal Investigation: https://www.wsj.com/articles/lead-legacy-a266d59b
US Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/lead/learn-about-lead
Actions that can be taken to reduce and prevent potential lead exposures:
https://www.epa.gov/lead/actions-reduce-potential-lead-exposure
https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/prevention/index.html
Identifying lead-sheathed telephone cables
https://utilityindustry.info/aerial-cable-id/
Testing for lead poisoning in children:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/lead-prevention/testing/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/prevention/blood-lead-levels.htm
World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/lead-poisoning-and-health
Lead laws and regulations:
US EPA summary of laws, executive orders, regulations, policy, and guidance: https://www.epa.gov/lead/lead-laws-and-regulations
Updated soil lead guidance (January 2024): https://www.epa.gov/superfund/updated-soil-lead-guidance-cercla-sites-and-rcra-corrective-action-facilities
