Pittsfield, MA orders Verizon cell tower 400 to 800 feet away from homes to be shut down, citing radiation-related health issues in nearby community
Navy is building similar towers 400 feet from homes in Maryland and refuses to disclose details to the public.
Residents near Webster Field in St. Inigoes, MD may expect: elevated rates of cancer, abnormal levels of several different hormones, and reduced cognitive ability.
By Pat Elder
April 30, 2022
Citizens of Pittsfield, Massachusetts prevailed against Verizon after many became ill from the “RF EMF” shown on the sign (front, right) here. “RF EMFs” are radiofrequency electromagnetic fields that emanate from Verizon and Navy towers.
On April 6, 2022, the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Board of Health voted to send a cease and desist order to shut down a Verizon cell tower if Verizon does not respond with meaningful action. The Board took action after families living in the neighborhood of Shacktown near the tower on 877 South Street reported wireless radiation-related health issues soon after the tower became operational in 2020.
This is the first time a cell tower has been ordered to shut down after health effects were reported. Seventeen people are reporting injuries linked to the radiation.
Regional and national press have ignored the story.
The order states that when the Verizon cell tower was activated, “the City started to receive reports of illness and negative health symptoms from residents living nearby the facility, and in particular, from residents living in the so-called “Shacktown” neighborhood. The negative health symptoms the affected residents have reported include complaints of headaches, sleep problems, heart palpitations, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dizziness, nausea, skin rashes, and memory and cognitive problems, among other medical complaints.”
According to the Pittsfield order, “The evidence presented to the Board includes well over one thousand peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies which consistently find that pulsed and modulated RFR has bio-effects and can lead to short- and long-term adverse health effects in humans.” See the Environmental Health Trust for more.
In Maryland, the Navy is constructing 6 similar towers
with one as close as 400 feet from homes.
Proposed tower #6 will be about 400 feet from nearby homes as shown
in this this graphic provided by the Navy.
The Navy towers planned for St. Inigoes, Maryland may be hazardous to the community’s health. Counter-Unmanned Aerial System Jamming Operations (CUJO) will likely emit dangerous radio frequency radiation.
Homes along Villa Rd. in St. Inigoes, Maryland will be
most impacted by Tower #6, depicted here in red.
Exposure over time coming from being so close to a cell tower can be very significant. People living on Villa Road and St. Inigoes Shores will be exposed every moment they’re at home. Studies have reported elevated rates of cancer in residents living near cell towers. Other studies have found individuals have abnormal levels of several different hormones and suffer from reduced cognitive ability.
Many experts state that placing a cell tower 400 feet from residential housing is dangerous to heath and could result in liability issues.
While we might expect that the federal government is reviewing the research, in fact, there is no regulatory agency with health expertise that has reviewed the science on cell tower radiation. There are no research reviews or reports. The EPA was defunded from studying the issue decades ago. An extensive review of the research was published this month detailing the lack of protective government safety limits and the urgent need for stronger safety limits for cell tower radiation exposure.
The Navy has refused to respond to the following questions regarding the placement of the towers at the Webster Field Annex of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station:
Have you performed studies that estimate the levels of radio frequency radiation from the types of towers you are constructing?
What frequency ranges will the Navy be using at each of the six towers?
Is the Navy willing to submit to civilian authority in this matter?
Can you provide the amount of RF energy generated at each tower in terms of increments of 100 feet?
Could you describe for us the exact type of stations you are planning to build?
The Navy has responded, “Certain questions fall under operational security, and can't be answered in full or in specific detail.” They say their goal is to have all towers up and operational by September, 2022 and they encourage concerned citizens to contact the NAS Patuxent River Noise Hotline at 1-866-819-9028 with concerns.