Common Item Found In New York State Is ‘Poisoning’ Residents, Kids

A "bombshell" report revealed that a common item found across New York State is "toxic" and "poisoning communities."

Democratic New York Congressman Pat Ryan wrote to the CEOs of Verizon, AT&T and U.S. Telecom, demanding that they remove "toxic lead cables" that he says "are poisoning communities" across Hudson valley and the United States.

Congressman Pat Ryan Demands Verizon and AT&T Clean Up Their Mess, Remove Lead Cables From Hudson Valley and Across United States

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Lead Cable Found At Wappingers Falls, New York Playground

Ryan also noted the cables are either buried in the ground or they are aerial, like one in Wappingers Falls that runs along a children's playground.

"I am particularly concerned about the reporting of these lead-sheathed cables in playgrounds and in communities across New York’s 18th Congressional District. These mostly obsolete and, in many cases, abandoned cables have been leaching lead into the ground in my community, placing children and families at risk of lead poisoning," Ryan said in his letter.

Ryan says this report hits too close to home.

"As a father of two young sons, the possibility of them ingesting lead at a local playground due to Verizon’s negligence over these lead-sheathed cables is appalling. Community centers, like playgrounds, play an essential role for all children, especially underserved children, as a space for physical activity, cognitive development, and socio-emotional growth. The fact that telecommunications companies knew that there were lead-covered cables left abandoned in communities, and did not proactively work to mitigate the impacts of the cables is unacceptable. This corporate irresponsibility and its compounding public health impacts has the possibility of harming a generation of children, who were simply going to the playground," he added.

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Governor Hochul has directed state agencies to investigate the issue across New York.