Open letter on Whitman Cell Phone Tower

Dear Student, Teacher, Administrator, and Neighbor of Walt Whitman High School,

I write to you today regarding a proposal from T-Mobile to install a cell tower on the Walt Whitman School property. T-Mobile, along with many governmental agencies will tell you that there is absolutely no evidence of harm other than the thermal effects from exposure to the radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitted by wireless communications transmitters. This is not true. There is much evidence on non thermal biological effects from such exposure. These non thermal effects are found at levels thousands of times below the FCCs RFR exposure standard.

I have written a report that provides a background and references as to how the FCCs RFR standards are not protective, which you can access here - CELL TOWERS AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS – LIVING WITH RADIOFREQUENCY RADIATION
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24352550/Cell-Tower-Rpt

Below is information on upcoming meetings, useful websites and contacts as well as a list of questions for T-Mobile.

Upcoming meetings:

T-Mobile Open House on Wednesday, 2/10/10 from 7 - 8:30 pm at WWHS
The proposed format for this meeting is to break into groups to discuss specific aspects of the proposal. If people prefer they can request that the meeting be an open meeting where anyone who wants to speak may address the entire group.

WWHS PTSA Meeting on Tuesday, 2/16/10 in the Media Center
The PTSA meeting minutes from the January meeting say they may vote on the T-Mobile proposal at the February meeting. PTSA membership and meetings are open to anyone who wishes to join, however only members may vote.

Please find websites and contact information at the end of this email.

According to reports available at http://whitmanhighcelltower.blogspot.com/, the T-Mobile tower will be 120 feet tall rising above the tree top level, and will be approximately 400 feet from neighbor's homes with a peak RFR level of .44 micro watts per centimeter squared (uW/cm2). T-Mobile plans to rent out space for additional antennas which will further increase the RFR levels.

The RFR exposure standard in the U.S. is 1,000 uW/cm2. Russia and China have an exposure standard of 10 uW/cm2. The BioInitiative Report recommends 0.1 uW/cm2 as a protective standard for RFR exposure. The reason the U.S. RFR standard is so much higher than the standard in other countries is because our government denies that there are cumulative non thermal biological effects from RFR exposure.

According to Norbert Hankin, with the Radiation Protection Division of the EPA: "The FCCs current exposure guidelines…are thermally based, and do not apply to chronic, non-thermal exposure situations…. Therefore, the generalization that the guidelines protect human beings from harm by any or all mechanisms is not justified.”

Scientists, doctors and governmental agencies worldwide have issued warnings, restrictions and resolutions urging limiting exposure to EMF/RF. Due to the numbers of people suffering from symptoms of EHS, medical doctors and scientists have issued resolutions stating that there is a more sensitive population to RFR and that antennas should not be sited near homes, schools and hospitals. These run from the Vienna Resolution in 1998 through to the Porto Alegre Resolution in 2009.

In 2009 three U.S. Governors, of Florida, Connecticut and Colorado, declared Electrohypersensitivty Awareness months.

In May, 2009 the LA Unified School District, which restricts cell towers on school property passed a resolution attempting to restrict antennas near school property and in April, 2009, the EU Parliament adopted, by 559 votes to 22, with 8 abstentions, a resolution on health concerns associated with electromagnetic fields (EMFs) which includes criteria for setting up [Cell Towers] and high-voltage power lines. They state: “In this context, it is important to ensure at least that schools, crèches [nursery schools], retirement homes, and health care institutions are kept clear, within a specific distance determined by scientific criteria, of facilities of this type.”
The Vancouver School Board (VSB) passed a resolution in January 2005 that prohibits construction of cellular antennas within 1000 feet (305 m) from school property.

Palm Beach County, Florida, the city and county of Los Angeles, California, and New Zealand have all prohibited cell phone base stations and antennas near schools due to safety concerns. The decision not to place cell antennas near schools is based on the likelihood that children are more susceptible to this form of radiation.

In January 2008, the National Research Council (NRC), an arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, issued a report saying that we simply do not know enough about the potential health risks of long-term exposure to RF energy from cell phones themselves, cell towers, television towers, and other components of our communications system. The scientists who prepared the report emphasized, in particular, the unknown risks to the health of children, pregnant women, and fetuses as well as of workers whose jobs entail high exposure to RF (radiofrequency) energy. The report called for long-term safety studies on all wireless devices including cell phones, computers, and cell phone towers and states:

“Wireless networks are being built very rapidly, and many more base station antennas are being installed. A crucial research need is to characterize radiated electromagnetic fields for typical multiple-element base station antennas and for the highest radiated power conditions with measurements conducted during peak hours of the day at locations close to the antennas as well as at ground level.”

Please contact me if you have any questions or comments. The people who will have chronic long term exposure to the RFR from the transmitters, such as neighbors, teachers and administrators, will be the most susceptible to harm from the cell tower. Walt Whitman students and the children at the River Road Unitarian Universalist Nursery School are also more susceptible to harm as their skulls are thinner and absorb more radiation and the nearby transmitters will add to their cumulative life time RFR burden. Please take action to protect those who are most vulnerable.
Best regards,
Angela Flynn

Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Angela Flynn
Wireless Radiation Alert Network
WRAN301-229-0282
FAX 301-229-4752