By Lynn Quiring RPh, CCN, NMD

Transcription

1 [excerpts from] Cell Phone Towers and Mobile Phone Masts Beacons of Harm By Lynn Quiring RPh, CCN, NMD (a pharmacist and naturopathic doctor practicing in the USA) Cell phone towers, sometimes called masts, or mobile phone towers, weren't an issue years ago when they were few and far between. Today cell phone towers have increased dramatically in number. There are now more than 1.9 million cell phone towers and antenna towers spread throughout the U.S. (1) They are now found on churches, schools and firehouses as well as being seen on the rooftop of buildings everywhere. Did you know there is even a cell phone tower near Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park? Can't sleep well at night? It may be that there's a cell phone tower close by. Just why would a call phone tower be placed on a church, school or firehouse? Why would school boards and churches agree to this? Money. It's that simple. The cell phone companies will pay these organizations, and individual property owners, handsomely to install their equipment on their properties. This "rent money" can range from a few hundred dollars a month to several thousand dollars a month. What school district or church couldn't use extra money to aid a struggling budget? By "renting" the space on an already-constructed building the cell phone industry doesn't have to purchase land, build a tower or construct a new building. It simply mounts its equipment on a structure that already exists. It's a win-win deal for the cell phone company and the new 'landlord.' Opposition to these cell tower installments used to gone unnoticed and without question. Not so today. Neighborhoods and citizens are becoming vocally opposed. But it's not the esthetics that causes residents and property owners to oppose these structures. Communities and citizens are afraid of the potential health effects being caused by this technology as well as the adverse affect on property values.

2 We Can't Stop Cell Phone Tower Construction Unfortunately, there isn't much one can do to stop the proliferation and continued build out of cell phone towers and structures. Although thought to be legislation about deregulation issues, the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (TCA) was really an open invitation for the cell phone industry to place their towers anywhere they wanted. Section 704 of the TCA basically states that local authorities can't ban the placement of towers in their jurisdictions. The law says: "No State or local government or instrumentality thereof may regulate the placement, construction, and modification of personal wireless service facilities on the basis of the environmental effects of radio frequency emissions to the extent that such facilities comply with the Commission's regulations concerning such emissions." So legally the local government can't refuse the construction of a cell phone tower in your neighborhood! Any challenge by local communities could easily end up in federal court. Our lawmakers have basically given the cell phone industry free reign to install these towers wherever they want. And, by the way, the cell phone industry helped write this legislation that our government officials passed as law! The public, therefore, now has no voice and no vote. Is there something wrong with this picture? Why didn't our public officials represent the people instead of big business? Why would you let the very industry you're trying to regulate write it's own laws? Does the income outweigh the potential risks? It appears not. Many studies and a lot of research have proven alarming health effects from various forms of cancer to stress. (2) Dr. George Carlo, chief scientist for the largest study ever conducted on cell phone radiation, predicts an epidemic in brain cancer soon. He says that based on calculations from peer-reviewed studies he expects the number of cases of brain cancer to number between 400,000 and 500,000 by the year That's up ten-fold from the 40,000 to 50,000 cases we see today and it's all directly attributed to cell phones and wireless technology. (3) He feels that we're beginning to see the curve of an epidemic like we've never seen before.

3 Representatives from the industry are quick to point out the microwaves emitted by cell phone towers are well below federal standards. And indeed they may be. At least on paper. Most towers operate at a power output of 100 watts. However, this isn't the total wattage of the tower. What they aren't telling you is that 100 watts is the power per channel. Since one tower may have dozens of channels you can see that the power output could be highly excessive and well beyond 100 watts. It's a technical loophole. And, of course, who is monitoring the power output from these towers after they are erected? The FCC certainly isn't. It doesn't have the manpower or money to properly regulate the millions of towers and antennas now online. And who is to prevent these companies from turning up the wattage when no one is around? Dr. Carlo indicates that many of these towers have already shown power outputs in the 900 to 1000 watt range. (4) You Can't Escape The Radiation. It's Everywhere. We simply can't escape the exposure to this radiation. It's everywhere. There are so many people using cell phones and wireless connections today that you don't even have to own a cell phone to be exposed. You're just as exposed as everyone else. Every time someone makes a call from a mobile phone the signal is sent to a cell phone tower. There are so many calls being made by everyone all around us and now there are so many mobile phone towers in operation, that all of us are caught in the crossfire. It's like secondhand smoke from cigarettes, except that we can't get away from it. There simply isn't anywhere to escape. How Mobile Phone Towers Work Cell phone towers emit signals in a "flower petal" pattern around the tower. This 360-degree radius around the tower is called a "cell" and this is what the term "cell" in cell phone means. (5) When your phone is in a "cell" you get good reception and when it isn't in a "cell" you get poor reception. So, for a cell phone company to provide complete coverage cell phone towers and antenna towers must be positioned all across the country so that the "cells" overlap. You can begin to see what a huge infrastructure needs to be created to provide complete cell phone coverage. That's why cell phone towers and antenna towers

4 are so prevalent. Furthermore, that's why these antennas are installed in so many places like rooftops, fire stations, schools and churches. This is what is necessary for complete coverage. Studies Show Adverse Health Effects From Cell Phone Towers If you aren't sure that cell phone towers and masts are harmful the following study summaries should convince you. Below are listed six studies that have shown significant adverse health effects on people living near cell phone towers. According to Dr. Grahame Blackwell "these are the only studies known that specifically consider the effects of masts on people. All six studies show clear and significant ill-health effects. There are no known studies relating to health effects of masts that do not show such ill-health effects." (6) 1. Santini et al. found significant health problems in people living within 300 meters of a cell phone base station or tower. The recommendation was made from the study that cell phone base stations should not be placed closer than 300 meters to populated areas. Pathol Biol (Paris) 2002; 50: A Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research study entitled, "Effects of Global Communications System Radio-Frequency Fields On Well Being and Cognitive Function of Human Subjects With and Without Subjective Complaints" found significant effects on well being including headaches, muscle fatigue, pain, and dizziness from tower emissions well below the "safety" level. 3. Gerd, Enrique, Manuel, Ceferino and Claludio conducted a Spanish study called "The Microwave Syndrome" and found adverse health effects from those living near two cell phone base stations. The health effects included fatigue, a tendency toward depression, sleeping disorders, difficulty in concentration and cardiovascular problems. 4. From an Israeli study published in the International Journal of Cancer Prevention, Vol. 1, No. 2, April 2004, Wolf and Wolf reported a fourfold increase in the incidence of cancer in people living within 350 meters of a cell phone tower as compared to the Israeli general population. They also reported a tenfold increase specifically among women.

5 5. In the Naila Study from Germany, November 2004, five medical doctors collaborated to assess the risk to people living near a cell phone tower. The retrospective study was taken from patient case histories between 1994 and 2004 from those who had lived during the past ten years at a distance up to 400 meters from the tower site. The results showed that the proportion of newly developed cancer cases was significantly higher in those patients living within the 400-meter distance and that the patients became ill on average eight years earlier. In the years 1999 to 2004, after five years of operation of the transmitting tower, the relative risk of getting cancer had trebled for residents of the area in the proximity of the installation compared to the inhabitants of Naila outside the area. 6. An Austrian Study released in May 2005, showed that radiation from a cell phone tower at a distance of 80 meters causes significant changes of the electrical currents in the brains of test subjects. All test subjects indicated they felt unwell during the radiation and some reported being seriously ill. According to the scientists doing the study, this is the first worldwide proof of significant changes of the electrical currents in the brain, as measured by EEG, by a cell phone base station at a distance of 80 meters. Subjects reported symptoms such as buzzing in the head, tinnitus, palpitations of the heart, lightheadedness, anxiety, shortness of breath, nervousness, agitation, headache, heat sensation and depression. According to scientists this is the first proof that electrical circuits in the brain are significantly affected by a cell phone tower. The distance in this study was a mere 80 meters. Two-time Nobel Prize nominee Dr. Gerald Hyland, a physicist, had this to say about cell phone towers, "Existing safety guidelines for cell phone towers are completely inadequate. Quite justifiably, the public remains skeptical of attempts by governments and industry to reassure them that all is well, particularly given the unethical way in which they often operate symbiotically so as to promote their own vested interests."

6 Dr. Bruce Hocking did a study in Sydney, Australia, of children living near TV and FM broadcast towers, which by the way, are very similar to cell phone towers. He found that these children had more than twice the rate of leukemia as children living more than seven miles away from these towers. Results in yet another recent study (7) conducted on inhabitants living near or under a mobile phone base station antenna yielded the following prevalence of neuropsychiatric complaints: headache (23.5%), memory changes (28.2%), dizziness (18.8%), tremors (9.4%), depressive symptoms (21.7%), and sleep disturbances (23.5%). In this study the participants were given a neurobehavioral test battery measuring such things as problem solving, vasomotor speed, attention and memory. Symptoms of exposed inhabitants were significantly higher than control groups. Furthermore, Europe's top environmental watchdog group, European Environment Agency (EEA), is calling for immediate action to reduce exposure to mobile phone masts. EEA suggests action to reduce exposure immediately to vulnerable groups such as children. The development of brain tumors in staff members working in a building in Melbourne, Australia, prompted the closing of the top floors of the building. The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology is housed in the building. Seven staff members were diagnosed with brain tumors and five of the seven worked on the top floor. A cell phone antenna is located on the roof of the building. (8) The Orange phone company in England is being forced to remove its mast tower on a building in Bristol, England. The removal is a result of a five-year effort by residents and local authorities to have the mast removed. Cancer rates in the building, which has become known internationally as the "Tower of Doom," have soared to ten times the national average for the 110 residents living there. The two masts sitting on the roof, one owned by Orange and the other by Vodafone, were installed in Vodafone has refused the remove its mast. (9)

7 Cell Phone Towers Affect Animals Animals aren't exempt from exposure the cell phone tower radiation either. One veterinary school in Hanover, Germany, reports that dairy cows kept in close proximity to a cell phone tower for two years had a reduction in milk production in addition to other health problems including abnormal behavior patterns. (10) Firefighters Vote To Suspend Cell Tower Construction On Fire Stations Concerned about the effect that masts have on the nation's firefighters, The International Association of Fire Fighters voted in 2004 to voice its opposition to cell phone towers and antennas being place on and around fire stations. They want proof first that there isn't a safety issue and have asked for a moratorium on further construction and placement of any more towers or antennas on or around firehouses until such a study can be conducted. What Are These Antennas Doing To Our Kids While They're In School? Is it worth the risk? They should not be subjected to microwave radiation when science has proven there could clearly be devastating effects as outlined in the previously mentioned studies. School boards and parent organizations need to be aware of the inherent dangers from such an exposure. It's been clearly shown that microwave radiation penetrates the head of a child much easier than that of an adult. This is due to the thinner and softer bones in the head of child. (11) Skull bones don't fully harden until about age 22. How Many Cell Phone Towers Are Near You? The average person lives within one-half mile of a cell phone tower. Have you ever wondered how close you live or work to one of these towers? Would it bother you if one were right in your backyard? How many of these towers and antennas do you think there are in your immediate area?

8 Watch The Signal Bars On Your Cell Phone The signal bars on your cell phone tell you how strong the signal is that are connecting to your cell phone. In other words, the closer you are to a cell phone tower the stronger the signal. The stronger the signal the less power your phone has to use to maintain the connection. A strong signal is indicated by a full set of "bars" showing on your cell phone display. Fewer bars mean a weaker signal. A weaker signal means the cell phone has to work harder to maintain the signal. Consequently, more power is needed to maintain the connection. The more power needed the greater the amount of radiation produced by your phone and the greater exposure to you. So always try to talk in outdoors or in an open space. This allows an easier connection from your cell phone to the nearest cell phone tower. Your phone won't have to work as hard and less power is used to maintain the signal, which translates, to less radiation exposure for you. What Can We Do? Obviously, can't escape the exposure. We've established that fact. So what can we do to minimize the damage? Here are few ideas: We need to limit our exposure any way possible. Don't live near a cell phone tower if you have a choice. Don't buy a home near one even if the price is right. Limit your use of wireless devices. Go back to 'wired' connections whenever possible. Maximize your health through proper nutrition and good hydration. Eat foods high in antioxidants and take supplements. Eat organically as much as possible. There is no safe distance to locate away from a mast tower. Obviously, the closer to the tower the greater the exposure risk so do locate as far away as possible. Whenever possible encourage your local government officials to consider transitioning to the use of fiber optic cable. Most of it has already been laid underground. It's just not being used. There are no masts with fiber optics and the small amount of radiation at the exits can be neutralized with technology now available.

9 Discourage the use of Wi-Fi in schools by meeting with your school officials and school boards. Wi-Fi hotspots are popping up everywhere now. Even whole cities are going wireless with the installation of Wi-Fi. Again, it's all done through a wireless signal, which is damaging to your health. Don't let cell phone companies install cell phone antennas on the roofs of schools where your children attend. The radio waves are disruptive to their ability to focus, not to mention the health hazards we've already outlined. References: The BioInitiative Report-A Rationale For A Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard For Electromagnetic Fields, released August 31, "Health Social Services and Housing Sub-Panel Telephone Mast Review," public discussion by Dr. George Carlo, 2/26/ Ibid. 5. "Towers of Babble, Bags of Gold: Cells, Lies and the Wireless Revolution." By James Heddle and Mary Beth Brangan, Ecological Options Network. 6. Grahame Blackwell, February 21, "Neurobehavioral Effects Among Inhabitants Around Mobile Phone Base Stations," Neurotoxicology, 2006, Aug. 1, Abel-Rassoul, et.al. 8. abc.net.au/news, May 11, Canadian National Newspaper, February 1, Loscher and Kas, University of Hanover Veterinary School and University of German Army in Munich, Gandhi, Om, "Electrical energy absorption in the human head from a cellular telephone, "IEEE Visualization; Proceedings of the 7th Conference on Visualization '96; pg. 371-ff