Hello, all!
Thanks to everyone for the lively discussion about cell phone towers at last night's meeting. To summarize, we heard that:
- Cell phone towers may pose a public health risk, according to a growing body of research from the US and worldwide. Some of these concerns include an increase in childhood leukemia, thyroid cancer, sleep disruption and lower birth rates - low levels of radiation over a period of time cause damage to our DNA and interfere with heart, brain and other organs that depend on electromagnetic signals to function.
- Baldwin Park has banned cell phone towers in their community, so companies are looking to our neighborhood to satisfy the demand.
- The presence of a tower in this community may decrease property values further.
- Reverend Linda decided to withdraw Reeves Church from negotiating with T-Mobile based on these concerns.
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As promised, here's a summary of the research I conducted regarding cell phone towers and their health effects, and links to the articles I found.
A summary:
- Cell phone towers emit low levels (at ground level) of radiation, and much higher levels where the antennas are, pointed outward and parallel to the ground.
- Many studies, and "safe" levels of exposure, are based on skin heating (which happens when you're exposed to high levels of radiation from these sources - if you were standing face-to-face with an antenna 100 ft up, for example). The effects of low levels of radiation are just beginning to be studied.
**as an aside, many of these large organizations say "the studies are inconclusive" or "more research needs to be done", because of political pressure against restricting the cell phone industry.
- 2001: World Health Organization finds children in communities with cell phone towers nearby are twice as likely to develop leukemia. Other research remains inconclusive, but caused the international standards of cell phone towers to reduce exposure. The US limits remain unchanged.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs263/en/. For a list of current studies on EMF exposure, visit:
http://www.who.int/peh-emf/research/database/IEEEdatabase/
- 2006 study: Melatonin drops in women exposed to low-frequency magnetic fields (when melatonin drops, women sleep less soundly and may increase their chance of breast cancer). OCCUPATIONAL MAGNETIC FIELD EXPOSURE AND MELATONIN: INTERACTION WITH
LIGHT-AT-NIGHT.
Juutilainen J., Kumlin T.
Bioelectromagnetics. 2006; 27 : 423-426.
- The FCC allows a maximum radiating power of 500 watts per channel, and up to 96 channels per tower. This level of exposure is significantly higher than the limits set for Eastern Europe. While the FCC insists that this creates safe, low-levels of radiation for the general public (http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet56/oet56e4.pdf), others indicate that the FCC does not have the manpower to enforce power limits and that operating towers often operate beyond their capacity with no consequences (http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=7025)
- Associated Press Article on a T-Mobile fight with a St. Louis church:
http://www.wired.com/gadgets/wireless/news/2005/08/68600
- 2000: Dr. Neil Cherry, Lincoln University - Very complex, thorough article with peer-reviewed citations from an academic in New Zealand, which traces the history of research on Electro-Magnetic Field exposure, the political history of why some studies are "valid" and others aren't, and recommendations to their government for stricter controls (this is where the chick embryo results, and the "sleep improved with cell phone tower switched off", info came from):
http://www.buergerwelle.de/pdf/zamir_shalita_cellularantenna_neil_cherryj3.htm
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Balanced perspective:
For the official take on cell phone towers and cancer from the American Cancer Society, since T-Mobile probably won't provide their handouts, visit:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3X_Cellular_Phone_Towers.asp
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From my analysis, I believe low levels of radiation exposure will be the next public health crisis (like the lead paint issues in the 1970's) that will dramatically affect our property values and public health once the information is released. Other countries are already beginning to dial down their exposure limits, as new research comes available. Scientists are realizing that it's long-term exposure that is being affected with cell phone, and other, radiation sources...With even the RISK of radiation damaging our minds, hearts and other organs, I believe it was the best decision not to put this tower near our school, church and community center.
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