Over the years, a great deal of information and medical data has been collected on the proliferation of cell towers and the associated risk they pose in health hazards, in particular, the overwhelming amount of evidence that living near a cell tower can cause and greatly increases the likelihood of cancer, including prostate, breast, lung, kidney and liver cancer caused by the exposure to the electromagnetic fields emitted by these towers.
Humans are exposed to more than 100 million times the amount of electromagnetic radiation than our grandparents were which is attributed to the rise of cancer related deaths. Additionally cell phone tower electromagnetic radiation is linked to the development and acceleration of cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders and numerous other health compromising consequences.
While the telecom industry denies the scientific evidence and says that claims of ill health effects from cell tower radiation are unfounded, there is a preponderance of mounting evidence to prove that a rising death and disease toll appears in areas where these cell towers have been installed. This is not the first industry to buy studies to support their own claims denying complicity while pushing forward with their profit making ventures and releasing reports to the public to debunk any information, no matter how credible that cell towers are harmful to your health.
Most people by now are aware of the dangers of holding a cell phone close to one’s head for a period of time every day and the links that medical data shows us to the high incidence of brain tumors developing on the side of the head where the cell phone was used. We use cell phones as a part of our daily lives and have learned to depend on them for much of our communication and activities. This does not however mean that they are safe and those who are aware of the dangers take reasonable precautions.
In the case of cell towers though, we are essentially defenseless and powerless because of the amounts of deadly radiation we are exposed to that we have no control over. This makes cell towers a health menace to society when the companies that put them up do not take care that to erect these towers as far away from people as possible.
In fact, studies have also shown adverse effects to animals after exposure to cell tower radiation. A study into the effects of a cell tower on a herd of dairy cattle showed that following erection of the tower, adverse health effects were observed as well as a measurable drop in milk yield. When these animals were relocated, their milk yield returned to near previous levels.
A human study (measured blood levels of serotonin and melatonin (important hormones involved in brain messaging, mood, sleep regulation and immune system function) both before, and five months after, the activation of a new cell site. Substantial unfavorable changes occurred with respect to these essential hormones.
All living things are affected by cell tower radiation. Among groups at great risk are pregnant mothers as cell tower radiation is known to cause birth defects.
Human population centers are flooded with massive amounts of powerful wireless microwave radiation. Cell phone towers emit high-frequency radio waves, or microwaves, that can travel as far as 45 miles. The closer you are, the greater the danger. Cellphone tower microwaves have a significantly higher frequency than even radio waves. The higher the frequency, the more powerful the wave and the more significant the effect on biological organisms.
Scientific research has been conducted all over the world showing that cell phone towers do in fact cause harm. One such study in Brazil’s third largest city for example established a direct link between cell towers and cancer deaths. In all, 7,000 deaths were attributed to cell tower radiation. Over 80 percent of those who succumbed to cell tower caused radiation cancer death resided approximately a third of a mile away from a cell tower.
Dr. Adilza Condessa Dode, one of the engineering researchers as well as the coordinator of the Brazilian study, addressed concerns among citizens living there adding that Brazil does not stand alone in dealing with this issue. He elaborated, "These levels (EMFs) are high and dangerous to human health. The closer you live to an antenna, the greater the contact with the electromagnetic field."
Local residents of Lake County are vulnerable to the health risks posed by the installation of these towers and as the industry grows, greater care must be taken in consideration of where these towers are to be located so as not to endanger human and animal health. Whether you are a cell phone user or not and most are, even those who choose to not use this technology will suffer the consequences of cell phone tower radiation.
A growing number of organizations and many more studies support the conclusions of the Brazilian study cited here. The International Association for Research on Cancer (IARC), based upon findings from research conducted by an international think tank, came to the conclusion that radiation spewing from cell towers is a carcinogen.
The BioInitiative 2012 Report written by a group of leading independent international scientists put out an unequivocal health warning against exposure to EMFs. This includes exposures from cell phone towers. This report concluded that cell towers are particularly dangerous because of the constant nature of the activity of the towers in that they emit pulsed radio frequency radiation which has been shown in thousands of studies to cause biological damage to the body and to be a precursor to disease.
Besides the risk of cancer and other diseases linked to cell towers, the following other disorders are also linked:
• Genetic mutations;
• Memory disruptions;
• Hindered learning;
• ADD;
• Insomnia;
• Brain disorders;
• Hormonal imbalances;
• Infertility;
• Dementia;
• Heart complications.
These dangers make it imperative to take action. It’s clear that cell towers should be located as far away from residential areas as possible and city, county and state officials and agencies should take heed of public safety concerns when considering cell tower site locations. Decisions as to where these sites are to be located is a paramount matter of public safety.
A study performed by doctors in Germany monitoring 1,000 residents who had lived in an area around two cell phone towers for 10 years showed that during the last five years of the study, those living in these areas had a newly-diagnosed cancer rate three times higher than those who lived further away. Breast cancer topped the list, but cancers of the prostate, pancreas, bowel, skin melanoma, lung and blood cancer were all increased. Cancer rates anywhere where cell towers have been installed have shown to exceed 10 times what would otherwise be the average in those areas.
It should also be considered that not all cell tower related cancers occur right away. The effects of exposure are cumulative within the body. The longer term studies clearly indicate that the effects of cell tower radiation exposure accumulates over time before the damage is detected and by then it may be irreversible because after several years of exposure, by then the body’s defenses and repair mechanisms have been exhausted and overwhelmed.
Over time, our bodies become stressed by exposure to this type of radiation every day. This affects our health in many ways. Other cell tower radiation exposure health effects include
tumors, diabetes, heart rhythm disturbances, inflammatory conditions, joint and limb pains, frequent infections, headaches, sleep disturbances, depression and memory problems.
Doctors are discovering all kinds of illnesses showing similar patterns where patients have had a higher incidence of this type of radiation exposure.
The current legal limit for cell site radiation in the US and the UK is 1000 microwatts per square centimeter. Other countries have set more conscientious limits as low as 1 microwatt per square centimeter. Switzerland, Italy, China and others manage perfectly well with a limit of 10 microwatts per square centimeter. The disparity manifests most where government is less concerned with safety than with the economic and political motives that propel the cell tower movement forward at a dangerous pace.
Some have questioned how close one can be to a cell tower and still be safe. Most studies show that living within a quarter of a mile of a cell tower poses significant health risks including a three times increased risk of cancer. This should not be taken lightly when companies are proposing sites for new cell tower installations in Lake County.
I urge and encourage you to contact your city, county and state decision makers to make your opinions heard on this subject.
Howard Glasser lives in Kelseyville, Calif.
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