Missoulian: Council takes up light pollution, cell towers

"Citizens of Missoula are not real happy with additional cell towers," said Monte Sipe, an associate planner for the city Office of Planning and Grants. This an interesting article on how cell towers are a source of environmental pollution in our neighborhoods. Another victory won on the basis of property values being potentially lowered. At a February County Board of Adjustment hearing on a proposed tower in the Rattlesnake, residents sent in 71 objections. Although the tower was designed to be camouflaged with fake tree branches, nearby homeowners said it would still ruin their views and their property values. The board unanimously turned down the proposal. Missoulian: Council takes up light pollution, cell towers:

Cutting the phone cord isn't as popular as predicted

Jesse Short, a 28-year-old employee with an insurance company, decided not to sign up for a fixed line when she moved to Manhattan four years ago. She figured her cellphone was all she needed for her active lifestyle. Then came the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and cellular networks became so clogged she couldn't call her family. Two years later the same thing happened during a blackout in New York and much of the Northeast. That finally convinced her to get wired. "After the blackout, I needed to use a pay phone," Ms. Short says. "That's when I realized I needed a landline." This article is great for the reason it demonstrates the reason you need land lines and examples why it can be a disadvantage not to have one. Unfortunately, there are none of the negative health effects being brought up in this article as to why cell phones can be dangereous but that is what my blog is for. For example, the picture posted above is of radiation penetrating the brains of a adult (10%), 10 year old (50%), and 5 year old (75%). I don't know about you but I don't like the looks of that at all. To find out what you can do to protect yourself go to http://www.danger911.com Cutting the phone cord isn't as popular as predicted:

Childhood cancer in relation to distance from high voltage power lines in England and Wales: a case-control study -- Draper et al. 330 (7503): 1290 -- BMJ

Babies who live near high-voltage power lines are almost twice as likely as others to develop leukemia during childhood, according to the largest study ever to be conducted into the long-standing question. But despite detailed analysis of more then 9000 childhood cases of leukemia over three decades, the Oxford University scientists who led the research say there is still insufficient evidence to establish with any certainty whether the magnetic fields around the cables actually cause some cases of the cancer. Gerald Draper, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the university's Childhood Cancer Research Group, identified the birth records of children born between 1962 and 1995 who later developed cancer, and mapped the addresses listed on the children's birth certificates against the national electricity grid in England and Wales. The same was done for a control group of children who did not have cancer - each matched to one of the cancer patients for date of birth, sex and birth registration district. Draper found the 9700 children with leukemia - the most common childhood cancer - were 70 per cent more likely than the others to have lived within 200 metres of a high voltage powerline. The link grew weaker the further away from power lines children lived. Among the 20,000 children who developed cancers other than leukemia, there was no extra likelihood of having lived near overhead cables. Despite the findings, Dr Draper was reluctant to suggest power lines might cause leukemia. Magnetic fields from power lines were "the most obvious explanation". But at a distance of 200 metres, these forces were typically lower than other sources of magnetism within the home, such as household electrical wiring and applicances, he said. "We have no satisfactory explanation for our results in terms of causation, and the findings are not supported by convincing laboratory data or any accepted biological mechanism," Dr Draper wrote in the British Medical Journal. Brad Page, chief of the Energy Supply Association of Australia, said Australia uses the same 400, 275 and 132 kilovolt transmission cables considered in the UK research, but it was unclear whether similar proportions of Australian children lived near them. "People should not place themselves in unreasonable proximity to these things," Mr Page said. More information: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com Childhood cancer in relation to distance from high voltage power lines in England and Wales: a case-control study -- Draper et al. 330 (7503): 1290 -- BMJ

"My kids aren't going to be guinea pigs."

"My kids aren't going to be guinea pigs." It can't be said any better than that folks. The wireless industry is probably the largest experiment know to civilization to date. The experimental group is growing by 46,000 cell phone users a day and 1000's of cell phone tower and sites each month. The telecommunications act of 1996 really thought ahead when they enacted the law to make it illegal for towns to barr cell towers based on health concerns. Then you have towns in need of money and when companies come in like Sprint and pay the local library $2,000 per month to place there tower what do you think they say. You get county advisors who say things "The FCC has found no evidence of harm due to cell towers," Meisse said. "We stand behind that it's not harmful to the community. ... We want to provide good service in the area.". These school systems like North Allegheny Intermediate School only 500 feet from the library (not far enough away, they will be affectedby the RF frequencies), while McKnight Elementary and Carson Middle schools are approximately 1,500 feet away (far enough away unless they really power up the tower which they probably will). The three buildings house close to 3,000 students and faculty. They will wish they listended to the parents in the end but for now unfortunatley money will probably win unless the town really stands up and unites. Good Luck. Cell phone tower issue raised again - PittsburghLIVE.com

100 FOOT METAL MONSTER INVADES SKILL VILLAGE IN PAIA, HAWAII!

100 FOOT METAL MONSTER INVADES SKILL VILLAGE IN PAIA That is what Verizon Wireless would like to see happen with the raising of a 100ft monopole cell tower in Paia right next to a church, school, and residential homes. What will happen to our property values? A well respected real estate broker, who has sold property on the north shore for over 20 years, shared, “The properties close to the cell phone tower in Haiku are harder to sell and people receive substantially less money for them.” What is the reason for this cell tower you ask? According to Verizon’s representatives, we need to have better cellular reception in the airport, in restaurants, in houses. Tourists are not getting the reception they are wanting and Verizon wants to make them happy. Will we, as residents, accept this? According to Paul Fitzgerald, an Electro-Magnetic Frequency Radiation Specialist and concerned Maui Resident, the health concerns of these towers are very real. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 and FCC regulations deprive local municipalities of the power to regulate cellular tower sites on the basis of public health concerns. The TDMA frequency that these towers emit of 8.34 hertz corresponds to frequencies found in the human brain. The Dutch government sponsored experiments showing that people exposed to cell tower signals “experienced dizziness, nervousness, chest pain, shortness of breath, numbness and tingling, weakness, and difficulty concentrating. Mr. Fitzgerald says, “I can show you over 500 pages of documented studies demonstrating negative health effects from cell towers and phones.” For example, four epidemiological studies of microwave and TV towers used as cell-tower proxies were conducted in Sydney, Honolulu and twice in the UK. All showed significantly higher leukemia rates in people living around transmission towers. The Sydney study found childhood leukemia at more than twice the expected rate. Dr. Hocking found children living near three broadcast towers have more than twice the rate of leukemia than children living more than seven miles away.. In New Zealand, cell phone towers are prohibited on school property because of possible health effects: learning disabilities, cancer, leukemia, DNA damage, etc. It is time to stand up as a community and figure out what is most important to us, cell phone reception inside restaurants, buildings, airports, etc. or protecting the health of our families and maintaining the values of our properties. Do we want these towers all over Maui? As a community, let’s discuss the many alternatives available. We are currently forming a coalition of concerned citizens. You can get in touch with Paul at 808.281.1016 or go to www.nocelltowers.com and subscribe for further information and to keep updated. # # #

Cell Phone Towers Days Are Numbered??!!

Are cell phone sites and towers days numbered? SRI International, a research firm best known for demonstrating the first computer mouse, says the solution to eliminate some dropped calls is simple: Make cell phones less dependent on cell towers. SRI, which has been developing technology in its labs for almost 60 years, has software that when implemented in a wireless handheld device allows the handset to continue working even when the network is down. The software is embedded in the phone. The signal of the device then jumps from handset to handset -– which must also have the software -– until it reaches its final destination. Sounds interesting folks, what about the health effects of that? Will that make our cell phones more dangerous or less? My guess is more! When a device becomes a transmitter and a receiver it emits and uses more power to function especially when it is having touble getting a signal. These new devices will be exactly that transmitters and receivers. All in all this is still fascinating technology. Wired News: A Call to Drop Cell Phone Towers

WHEN THE PEOPLE LEAD, THE LEADERS WILL FOLLOW!

When the people lead, the leaders will follow! I don't think it can be said any better than that in this case in San Francisco of winning an opposition against a cell phone tower site. They fought a well prepared battle proving the providers coverage was already adequate, the fear of health risks, the towers would be near a residential area and more. Please take some time and read on about how this county in San Francisco sent the cell towers running. SNAFU/Success_Upper Fillmore