1996 Telecommunications Act
The 1996 Telecommunications Act gave the Telecommunications Industry the freedom to erect cell towers without much in the way of regulations, oversight or any consideration of what the health effects of cell towers would be.
Since that Act, there has been an exponential growth in the number of cell towers in the US.
In 1985, there were roughly about 900 cell towers in the states. The current number of cell towers in the US as of 2022 is estimated to be around 500,000, according to the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA).
Exponential Increase in Background Radiation
Prior to this exponential increase, the amount of background radiation emitted by cell towers was minimal and did not effect the population at large.
Today, most people are living in close proximity to a cell tower or a cell antenna. The amount of background radiation has risen exponentially along with the towers.
Hidden Clusters of Antennas
As the Telecommunications Act did not put much in the way of restrictions on where the Telecommunications Industry could erect cell towers, cell towers have been popping up in the least likely of places.
School rooftops have become a common spot for cell antennas. So have church steeples, apartment building rooftops, gas station signs, and businesses. Leasing space to house a cell tower can be lucrative, so many establishments have gotten on board.
These cell antennas are usually clusters of various antennas from different carriers. While usually hidden to the human eye, the human body is not immune to the debilitating effects of their radiation.
These antenna clusters emit a continuous stream of microwave radiation. Being in close proximity to where people live, sleep, work and play, residents are being exposed to this cell tower radiation on a daily basis – sometimes even 24/7.
Frequency Changes
Since the 1996 Telecommunications Act, the frequencies these cell towers emit have gone through many changes – 2G, 3G, 4G, and now 5G. These represent low, mid and now high band frequencies.
With 5G frequencies able to travel for only short distances, there is a need to erect 5G antennas every 750 feet. This means a lot more cell towers have been erected and are being proposed to be able to make 5G work.
Health Symptoms
People have been reporting experiencing health symptoms after a cell tower is erected close to their home, or if they move into a new house that has a cell tower nearby.
Dizziness, insomnia, fatigue, skin rashes, numbness, pins and needles, brain fog, congestion, blurred vision and headaches are some of the most common symptoms that have been reported.
Research on Health Effects
There has been numerous published studies on the health effects of living in close proximity to a cell tower.
Here are some of the highlights in cell tower studies, starting in 2002.
A 2002 French study found residents reported an increase in fatigue when living 300 meters from a cell tower.
A 2003 study revealed that even low levels of radiation exposure were able to cause adverse health symptoms. The study was conducted in Spain and found that residents living near cell towers experienced symptoms even when the levels of radiation emitted were below those that were deemed by authorities to be ‘safe’.
A 2006 Austrian study found insomnia and diminished cognitive performance in those living in close proximity to cell towers. In this study, radiation levels were below current safety levels, yet still produced adverse health effects in the subjects.
Another 2006 study focused on the neurological effects suffered by those living near towers. Headaches, tremors, depression, vertigo, restless sleep and changes in memory were experienced by the participants. The control group did not experience the same neurological symptoms as the group exposed to the cell tower radiation.
This study found that those exposed to the radiation from the cell towers had lowered attention spans and experienced a drop in short-term memory.
An independent study done in 2014 out of Japan followed participants who had lived in a condominium complex before a cell tower was erected, while the cell tower was in use, and after its removal.
The researchers found participants experienced an increase of symptoms when the tower was placed and during its use. After the cell tower was removed, the symptoms were greatly reduced. The majority of the participants reported deep fatigue, headaches, depression, eye pain, deterioration of eyesight, nose bleeds, rapid heart beats, muscle pain, insomnia and anxiety.
A 2022 published study out of Spain looked at subjects living in urban areas in close proximity to cell towers and antennas. The study found a significant increase in Microwave Radiation Sickness and cancer. The researchers compared their findings with studies done on the effects of smart meter radiation and radar and found there were a lot of similarities, leading them to conclude there is a real health threat from being exposed to wireless radiation.
Non-Thermal Radiation
When dealing with wireless rf radiation from cell towers and antennas, we are dealing with radiation that is too low to heat tissue. This non-thermal radiation is considered to be safe by various regulatory bodies. These authorities continue to hold to the theory that as long as the radiation is too low to heat tissue, it does not pose a health risk.
However, the above cited studies are all based on radiation that is too low to heat tissue, yet participants experience adverse health symptoms.
In addition to those studies, international experts in the field of RF radiation have shown that microwave transmissions from cell towers that are too low to heat tissue are still able to cause damage to our health.
These experts found non-thermal radiation to cause:
Brain cancer, lymphoma, tumor growth, breaks in DNA, childhood leukemia, sleep pattern changes, changes in REM, damage to eye cells, headaches, metabolic changes, decrease in attention span, increase in blood pressure and changes to the blood-brain barrier.
World Health Organization on Cell Tower Radiation
On the topic of health risks from cell tower radiation, the WHO state that “studies to date provide no indication that environmental exposure to RF fields, such as from base stations, increases the risk of cancer or any other disease”. They go on to state that scientists have found other health effects from use of cell phones, but “these effects are minor and have no apparent health significance.”
