Cell-tower radiation minimal, reports say

by Jan K. Allen

SBJ Contributing Writer

Studies by government agencies, the scientific community and the communication industry have shown electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) surrounding cellular towers and antennas pose no threat to public health.

The technological breakthrough that preceded mobile communication began with the 1935 discovery of frequency modulation (FM) by Edwin Howard Armstrong. The push to refine the technology for use in two-way communication came with U.S. involvement in World War II, according to a newsletter put out by AT&T Wireless Services. The military needed wireless communication on the battlefield.

From the mid-1940s, another 20 years of research went into the sophisticated technology of "handing off" signals from transmitter to transmitter. In 1970, the FCC set aside new radio frequencies for land mobile communications designated for commercial use. Still more research ensued.

As towers began to dot urban horizons in the early 1980s, public concern about the EMFs emitted by the transmitters also grew. Since the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945, the word "radiation" has struck a nerve.

"It's more a matter of public concern than it is an actual problem," said David Hale, public relations manager for AT&T Wireless Services.

"Reviews of scientific evidence have found no causal link between cellular telephone transmitters and adverse health effects of any kind," Hale said.

Hale stated that government and industry scientists have conducted thousands of dependable, extensive research projects on every aspect of EMF emissions.

Most people don't realize that there are two types of EMFs, according to Leo Perreault, vice president and general manager of ALLTEL.

The ionizing type, such as those used for X-rays, does have potential to damage living tissue if contacted in large doses.

But the non-ionizing energy found in all electrical devices, from hair dryers to power tools, has never proven to be harmful to human tissue.

"It's the non-ionizing energy that is produced by cellular towers," Perreault said.

Thousands of tests have been conducted, and no one has ever proven cellular towers have caused anyone harm, Perreault added.

Several government agencies, doctors, scientists and industry leaders have conducted studies on everything from the emissions rate per unit to the effect on cardiac pacemakers.

The effect of electromagnetic energy on a pacemaker is more a matter of compatibility than it is a health issue, according to Hale.

Emissions are regulated by the FCC, although cellular towers fall far below the maximum emissions allowable, according to Perreault.

"Even on rural units, we don't put out more than 100 watts," he said. "And those towers are 300 feet high," he added. Since EMFs dissipate rapidly in space, very little filters to ground level.

In the city, units typically put out only 10 to 15 watts.

Because of placement density, the units do not need to have any stronger signal. At this rate, even walking directly in front of a signal would not be harmful. However, placement is still closely regulated as a precaution.

According to a report from the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association, site selection is not made randomly.

Many factors, including the views of nearby residents, are taken into account, CTIA stated. In urban areas, care is taken to make locations as unobtrusive as possible.

"Most sites are placed in commercial or industrial areas," Hale said.

CTIA stated that antennas are designed to radiate very little power downward, and electromagnetic energy decreases rapidly with distance. Therefore, exposure at ground level is minimal.

Even direct exposure, though not necessarily desirable, would not be harmful, the report said.

Safety and environmental concerns are considered with each placement, and sites must be approved by local government, comply with local zoning laws and be in accordance with all FCC regulations.

When people object, they usually try to tie it to safety, Perreault said. But cellular service providers use every precaution in positioning and maintaining towers and antennas, he added.

Since the first commercial systems were activated in the early 1980s, there have been more than 1,600 systems initiated to serve markets across the United States.

More than 30,000 cell sites were in place as of December 1996, and the number continues to grow in the United States and around the world.[[In-content Ad]]