High lead levels discovered in moss in Portland's older neighborhoods

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Scientists have found elevated lead levels on moss in some of Portland's oldest neighborhoods.

Although U.S. officials have banned multiple lead-based products, the Wall Street Journal reported in 2023 that the element continues to contaminate many parts of the country due to the lead-sheathed telecommunication cables that companies installed from the late 1800s through the 1960s.

Washington town with no exit roads prepared to evacuate by ferry...