Cell Phone Towers and Mobile Phone Masts - Beacons of Harm

Is it a cactus? A palm tree? A water tower? No!case histories between 1994 and 2004 from
It's a cell phone tower! That's right! Cell phonethose who had lived during the past ten years at
towers today are being disguised in subtle waysa distance up to 400 meters from the tower site.
unheard of just a few years ago. See a grain silo?The results showed that the proportion of newly
Or a church steeple? You guessed it. It could verydeveloped cancer cases was significantly higher in
well be a cell phone tower. There's even a cellthose patients living within the 400-meter distance
phone tower that looks just like aand that the patients became ill on average eight
lighthouse...never mind that it's over two milesyears earlier. In the years 1999 to 2004, after
from the ocean.five years of operation of the transmitting tower,
But don't let the pretty and ingenious disguisesthe relative risk of getting cancer had trebled for
fool you. There is a real and present dangerresidents of the area in the proximity of the
lurking behind the mask of these innocent designs.installation compared to the inhabitants of Naila
Why the disguises? Obviously, for estheticoutside the area.
reasons. The cell phone companies don't want to- An Austrian Study released in May 2005,
make their neighborhood friends upset. Theyshowed that radiation from a cell phone tower at
want to blend in. So they blend in while they blasta distance of 80 meters causes significant
your home and neighborhood with toxicchanges of the electrical currents in the brains of
electromagnetic radiation.test subjects. All test subjects indicated they felt
Cell phone towers, sometimes called masts, orunwell during the radiation and some reported
mobile phone towers, weren't an issue years agobeing seriously ill. According to the scientists doing
when they were few and far between. One couldthe study, this is the first worldwide proof of
often drive miles and miles through thesignificant changes of the electrical currents in the
countryside and never see one. They were fewbrain, as measured by EEG, by a cell phone base
in number and were only found in obscurestation at a distance of 80 meters. Subjects
locations and seen only on an occasional hilltop.reported symptoms such as buzzing in the head,
Today cell phone towers have increasedtinnitus, palpitations of the heart, lightheadedness,
dramatically in number. There are now more thananxiety, shortness of breath, nervousness,
1.9 million cell phone towers and antenna towersagitation, headache, heat sensation and depression.
spread throughout the U.S. They are now foundAccording to scientists this is the first proof that
on churches, schools and firehouses as well aselectrical circuits in the brain are significantly
being seen on the rooftop of buildingsaffected by a cell phone tower. The distance in
everywhere. Did you know there is even a cellthis study was a mere 80 meters.
phone tower near Old Faithful in YellowstoneTwo-time Nobel Prize nominee Dr. Gerald Hyland,
Park? Can't sleep well at night? It may be thata physicist, had this to say about mobile phone
there's a cell phone tower close by.towers. "Existing safety guidelines for cell phone
Just why would a mobile phone tower be placedtowers are completely inadequate. Quite
on a church, school or firehouse? Why wouldjustifiably, the public remains skeptical of attempts
school boards and churches agree to this? Money.by governments and industry to reassure them
It's that simple. The mobile phone companies willthat all is well, particularly given the unethical way
pay these organizations, and individual propertyin which they often operate symbiotically so as to
owners, handsomely to install their equipment onpromote their own vested interests."
their properties. This "rent money" can rangeDr. Bruce Hocking did a study in Syndey, Australia,
from a few hundred dollars a month to severalof children living near TV and FM broadcast
thousand dollars a month. What school district ortowers, which by the way, are very similar to cell
church couldn't use extra money to aid aphone towers. He found that these children had
struggling budget? By "renting" the space on anmore than twice the rate of leukemia as children
already-constructed building the cell phone industryliving more than seven miles away from these
doesn't have to purchase land, build a tower ortowers.
construct a new building. It simply mounts itsResults in yet another recent study conducted on
equipment on a structure that already exists. It'sinhabitants living near or under a mobile phone
a win-win deal for the cell phone company and thebase station antenna yielded the following
new 'landlord.'prevalence of neuropsychiatric complaints:
Opposition to these cell tower installments used toheadache (23.5%), memory changes (28.2%),
gone unnoticed and without question. Not sodizziness (18.8%), tremors (9.4%), depressive
today. Neighborhoods and citizens are becomingsymptoms (21.7%), and sleep
vocally opposed. But it's not the esthetics thatdisturbances(23.5%). In this study the participants
causes residents and property owners to opposewere given a neurobehavioral test battery
these structures. Communities and citizens aremeasuring such things as problem solving,
afraid of the potential health effects being causedvisuomotor speed, attention andmemory.
by this technology as well as the adverse affectSymptoms of exposed inhabitants were
on property values.significantly higher than control groups.
We Can't Stop Cell Phone Tower ConstructionFurthermore, Europe's top environmental
Unfortunately, there isn't much one can do towatchdog group, European Environment Agency
stop the proliferation and continued build out of(EEA), is calling for immediate action to reduce
cell phone towers and structures. Althoughexposure to mobile phone masts. EEA suggests
thought to be legislation about deregulation issues,action to reduce exposure immediately to
the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (TCA) wasvulnerable groups such as children.
really an open invitation for the cell phone industryThe development of brain tumors in staff
to place their towers anywhere they wanted.members working in a building in Melbourne,
Section 704 of the TCA basically states that localAustralia, prompted the closing of the top floors
authorities can't ban the placement of towers inof the building. The Royal Melbourne Institute of
their jurisdictions. The law says: "No State or localTechnology is housed in the building. Seven staff
government or instrumentality thereof maymembers were diagnosed with brain tumors and
regulate the placement, construction, andfive of the seven worked on the top floor. A cell
modification of personal wireless service facilitiesphone antenna is located on the roof of the
on the basis of the environmental effects of radiobuilding.
frequency emissions to the extent that suchThe Orange phone company in England is being
facilities comply with the Commission's regulationsforced to remove its mast tower on a building in
concerning such emissions." So legally the localBristol, England. The removal is a result of a
government can't refuse the construction of a cellfive-year effort by residents and local authorities
phone tower in your neighborhood! Any challengeto have the mast removed. Cancer rates in the
by local communities could easily end up in federalbuilding, which has become known internationally
court. Our lawmakers have basically given the cellas the "Tower of Doom," have soared to ten
phone industry free reign to install these towerstimes the national average for the 110 residents
wherever they want. And, by the way, the cellliving there. The two masts sitting on the roof,
phone industry helped write this legislation that ourone owned by Orange and the other by
government officials passed as law! The public,Vodafone, were installed in 1994. Vodafone has
therefore, now has no voice and no vote. Isrefused the remove its mast.
there something wrong with this picture? WhyCell Phone Towers Affect Animals
didn't our public officials represent the peopleAnimals aren't exempt from exposure the cell
instead of big business? Why would you let thephone tower radiation either. One veterinary
very industry you're trying to regulate write it'sschool in Hanover, Germany, reports that dairy
own laws?cows kept in close proximity to a cell phone
Does the income outweigh the potential risks? Ittower for two years had a reduction in milk
appears not. Scores of studies and well-respectedproduction in addition to other health problems
research have exposed alarming health effectsincluding abnormal behavior patterns.
from various forms of cancer to stress. ManyFirefighters Vote To Suspend Cell Tower
experts today are predicting an epidemic in brainConstruction On Fire Stations
cancer soon.Concerned about the effect that masts have on
Representatives from the industry are quick tothe nation's firefighters, The International
point out the microwaves emitted by cell phoneAssociation of Fire Fighters voted in 2004 to
towers are well below federal standards. Andvoice its opposition to cell phone towers and
indeed they may be. At least on paper. Mostantennas being place on and around fire stations.
towers operate at a power output of 100 watts.They want proof first that there isn't a safety
However, this isn't the total wattage of theissue and have asked for a moratorium on
tower. What they aren't telling you is that 100further construction and placement of any more
watts is the power per channel. Since one towertowers or antennas on or around firehouses until
may have dozens of channels you can see thatsuch a study can be conducted.
the power output could be highly excessive andWhat Are These Antennas Doing To Our Kids
well beyond 100 watts. It's a technical loophole.While They're In School?'t worth the risk. They
And, of course, who is monitoring the powershould not be subjected to microwave radiation
output from these towers after they arewhen science has proven there could clearly be
erected? The FCC certainly isn't. It doesn't havedevastating effects as outlined in the previously
the manpower or money to properly regulate thementioned studies. School boards and parent
millions of towers and antennas now online. Andorganizations need to be aware of the inherent
who is to prevent these companies from turningdangers from such an exposure. It's been clearly
up the wattage when no one is around? Someshown that microwave radiation penetrates the
have reported that many of these towers havehead of a child much easier than that of an adult.
already shown power outputs in the 900 to 1000This is due to the thinner and softer bones in the
watt range.head of child. Skull bones don't fully harden until
You Can't Escape The Radiation. It's Everywhere.about age 22.
We simply can't escape the exposure to thisHow Many Cell Phone Towers Are Near You?
radiation. It's everywhere. There are so manyThe average person lives within one-half mile of a
people using cell phones and wireless connectionscell phone tower. Have you ever wondered how
today that you don't even have to own a cellclose you live or work to one of these towers?
phone to be exposed. You're just as exposed asWould it bother you if one were right in your
everyone else. Every time someone makes a callbackyard? How many of these towers and
from a mobile phone the signal is sent to a cellantennas do you think there are in your
phone tower. There are so many calls being madeimmediate area? Find out by visiting the website
by everyone all around us and now there are soSimply type in your address and you'll get a listing
many mobile phone towers in operation, that all ofand a map of all the towers and antennas within a
us are caught in the crossfire. It's like second-handshort radius of your address. Like most people
smoke from cigarettes, except that we can't getyou'll probably gasp when you see the numbers.
away from it. There simply isn't anywhere toThese towers are literally everywhere. Hundreds
escape.and hundreds of them are probably located within
How Mobile Phone Towers Worka few miles of your home or office.
Cell phone towers emit signals in a "flower petal"Watch The Signal Bars On Your Cell Phone
pattern around the tower. This 360-degree radiusThe signal bars on your cell phone tell you how
around the tower is called a "cell" and this is whatstrong the signal is that are connecting to your
the term "cell" in cell phone means. When yourcell phone. In other words, the closer you are to a
phone is in a "cell" you get good reception andcell phone tower the stronger the signal. The
when it isn't in a ?"cell" you get poor reception. So,stronger the signal the less power your phone has
for a cell phone company to provide completeto use to maintain the connection. A strong signal
coverage cell phone towers and antenna towersis indicated by a full set of "bars" showing on your
must be positioned all across the country so thatcell phone display. Fewer bars mean a weaker
the "cells" overlap. You can begin to see what asignal. A weaker signal means the cell phone has
huge infrastructure needs to be created toto work harder to maintain the signal.
provide complete cell phone coverage. That's whyConsequently, more power is needed to maintain
cell phone towers and antenna towers are sothe connection. The more power needed the
prevalent. Furthermore, that's why thesegreater the amount of radiation produced by your
antennas are installed in so many places likephone and the greater exposure to you. So
rooftops, fire stations, schools and churches. Thisalways try to talk in outdoors or in an open
is what is necessary for complete coverage.space. This allows an easier connection from your
Studies Show Adverse Health Effects From Cellcell phone to the nearest cell phone tower. Your
Phone Towersphone won't have to work as hard and less
If you aren't sure that cell phone towers andpower is used to maintain the signal, which
masts are harmful the following study summariestranslates, to less radiation exposure for you.
should convince you. Below are listed six studiesWhat Can We Do?
that have shown significant adverse healthObviously, can't escape the exposure. We've
effects on people living near cell phone towers.established that fact. So what can we do to
According to Dr. Grahame Blackwell "these areminimize the damage?
the only studies known that specifically considerHere are few ideas: We need to limit our
the effects of masts on people. All six studiesexposure any way possible. Don't live near a cell
show clear and significant ill-health effects. Therephone tower if you have a choice. Don't buy a
are no known studies relating to health effects ofhome near one even if the price is right. Limit
masts that do not show such ill-health effects."your use of wireless devices. Go back to 'wired'
- Santini et al. found significant health problems inconnections whenever possible. Maximize your
people living within 300 meters of a cell phonehealth through proper nutrition and good hydration.
base station or tower. The recommendation wasEat foods high in antioxidants and take
made from the study that cell phone basesupplements. Eat organically as much as possible.
stations should not be placed closer than 300There is no safe distance to locate away from a
meters to populated areas. Pathol Biol (Paris)mast tower. Obviously, the closer to the tower
2002; 50: 369-373.the greater the exposure risk so do locate as far
- A Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientificaway as possible. Whenever possible encourage
Research study entitled, "Effects of Globalyour local government officials to consider
Communications System Radio-Frequency Fieldstransitioning to the use of fiber optic cable. Most
On Well Being and Cognitive Function of Humanof it has already been laid underground. It's just
Subjects With and Without Subjective Complaints"not being used. There are no masts with fiber
found significant effects on well being includingoptics and the small amount of radiation at the
headaches, muscle fatigue, pain, and dizzinessexits can be neutralized with technology now
from tower emissions well below the "safety"available. Discourage the use of Wi-Fi in schools by
level.meeting with your school officials and school
- Gerd, Enrique, Manuel, Ceferino and Claludioboards. Wi-Fi hotspots are popping up everywhere
conducted a Spanish study called "The Microwavenow. Even whole cities are going wireless with the
Syndrome" and found adverse health effectsinstallation of Wi-Fi. Again, it's all done through a
from those living near two cell phone basewireless signal, which is damaging to your health.
stations. The health effects included fatigue, aDon't let cell phone companies install cell phone
tendency toward depression, sleeping disorders,antennas on the roofs of schools where your
difficulty in concentration and cardiovascularchildren attend. The radio waves are disruptive to
problems.their ability to focus, not to mention the health
- From an Israeli study published in thehazards we've already outlined. If you can't
International Journal of Cancer Prevention, Vol. 1,change your current situation there is some hope.
No. 2, April 2004, Wolf and Wolf reported aThere are some intervention devices now
fourfold increase in the incidence of cancer inavailable that you can use in your home, school
people living within 350 meters of a cell phoneand office to help lessen the risk of exposure.
tower as compared to the Israeli generalSome very good cutting-edge technology has
population. They also reported a tenfold increasebeen developed that will intervene and help
specifically among women.mitigate the damage being done by wireless
- In the Naila Study from Germany, Novemberconnections.
2004, five medical doctors collaborated to assessIf you'd like to discuss those options feel free to
the risk to people living near a cell phone tower.get in touch with me.
The retrospective study was taken from patient