The Town is considering a request from NextG Networks, Inc., wireless company to install cellular antennas on utility poles throughout the town. The company would be operating these systems for Metro PCS Communications, Inc., and could add other carriers. ABG contends there are several issues to be addressed before approval is granted. The vendors claim the enhanced service will benefit consumers with an enhanced handset experience. We acknowledge it’s just a phone, yet realize there may be other devices using these towers.
Several Greenburgh residents have already spoken out about the tower installations, citing previous safety analysis’ and the need for the Town to really study the effects of the towers impact on people. NextG Networks, Inc., applied for the permits two years ago. That’s about the right time frame for action in this Town unless it is one of The Paul’s Pet Projects. Metro PCS Communications, Inc., are requesting to install four foot cell tower anntennas on existing utility poles with equipment cabinets attached about halfway down the pole. It should be noted that NextG Networks has sued numerous municipalities in the past when access to the utility poles was denied. We can’t know what they’ll do if their request is postponed or a moratorium imposed. But ABG has a pretty good idea. Since the Town apparently hasn’t done any known investigatory work on the safety of the towers, we sort of know the outcome already of this petition.
ABG is not against cell tower installations and does not wish to sound alarmist. The safety of cell phone towers is the subject of extensive scientific debate and its difficult to get clear cut answers or consensus from everyone, increasing the difficult decision-making process. There is a body of scientific evidence that the electromagnetic radiation towers emit, even at low levels, is dangerous to human health. The cell phone industry is expanding quickly, with over 100,000 cell phone towers now up across the U.S., which is expected to increase ten-fold over the next five years. The industry has set what they say are “safe levels” of radiation exposure, but there are a growing number of doctors, physicists, and health officials who strongly disagree, and foresee a public health crisis. ABG found the argument over high-tension wires intense. This proves to be no different.
We read a study of towers installed in Siskiyou Colorado, with dozens more planned, as telecommunications companies move to corner markets in this fast-growing industry. These towers emit radio frequencies (RF), a form of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), for a distance of up to 2-1/2 miles. These are essentially the same frequency radiation as the microwaves in a microwave oven, and have been linked to brain tumors, cancer, suppressed immune function, depression, miscarriage, Alzheimer's disease, and numerous other serious illnesses. Studies have shown that even at low levels, there is evidence of damage to cells. Children are at the greatest risk, due to their thinner skulls, and rapid rate of growth.
In fact, the danger to people is so impending with building-installed towers, the firefighters in our Town and Village fire departments tell ABG that there are various protocols and dangers to be aware of when accessing a building’s rooftop either from an exterior ladder or from the inside. This is because of the numerous buildings with cell towers mounted to their roof tops. Industry information and scientific studies indicate there exists unseen, unfelt invisible radiation from these towers is similar to a microwave oven, in effect cooking the unsuspecting person who is nearby from the inside out.
While the FD policies vary, the consensus seems to be to stay at least ten feet from the antenna. Another problem that exists for personnel is the power supply for the towers. If the supply of power is ‘on’, that power must be turned off before approaching the area of the towers. Most systems have backup power systems to keep the towers running in the event of a power failure and must also be turned off before access to the area of the tower can be made. Part of the problem with office buildings with these towers on them is they also have air conditioning units, heating devices and elevator apparatus and access on the roofs requiring routine as well as emergency visits. When the FD is called for a possible fire or malfunction in one of these, the firefighters are unnecessarily exposed to the radiation if they get too close. Again, like food in a microwave oven, they will literally be cooked from the inside out!
So, does an antenna/tower on a pole really pose that much of a hazard to us? Perhaps it’s too soon to say, but we’d rather the Town err on the side of caution. According to the firm that performed a safety analysis of the twenty or so sites in question, hired by the applicant, NextG Networks corporation, the antennas are well below the FCC limits. Cathy Bergman-Veniza, at the Vermont Law School Environmental Law Center Conference, has stated the current U.S. standard for radiation exposure from cell phone towers is 580-1,000 microwatts per sq. cm. (mW/cm2), among the least protective in the world.
More progressive European countries have set standards significantly lower than the U.S. Compare Australia at 200 microwatts, Russia, Italy, and Toronto, Canada at 10, China at 6, and Switzerland, at 4. In Salzburg, Austria the level is .1 microwatts (pulsed), 10,000 times less than the U.S. New Zealand has proposed yet more stringent levels, at .02 microwatts, 50,000 times more protective than the U.S. Standard. Contrary to what the communications industry tells us, there is vast scientific, epidemiological and medical evidence that confirms that exposure to the RF and microwave radiation emitted from cell towers, even at low levels, can have profound adverse effects on biological systems.
ABG doesn’t buy into the 100-Year Storm frequency our Board keeps referencing when they discuss (their lack of) storm flooding preparedness. What happens when one of these 100 year storms hits the area again, after these antennas are installed? We saw numerous utility poles come down along with live wires, tree limbs, and all sorts of other debris. One concern is that the towers remain live even after the pole has come down, possibly exposing anyone in the immediate proximity of the downed tower. What if it lands on an occupied home or apartment building and remains powered on? How often do we see the media show curious neighbors checking out storm induced damage? Pretty often. And what about media representatives that place themselves into the “thick” of the action?
Can these towers be staggered so as to not be near other towers, reducing the increase of the amount of these micro waves in a specific area? Will they be near any paths to schools, where the effects on children appear to be more pronounced? Or, can they placed atop the high tension wire structures already in place and considered off-limits, not near peoples homes? Moderation, along with intelligent investigation should provide clear and concise definitions for a path to proceed. But with our Stepford Board, ABG thinks this will be rubber-stamp approved. We need real answers provided by due diligence and hard work. We can only hope.
The next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 14 at Town Hall to hear from the public.
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