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Opponents of a proposed cell tower in my neighborhood sent me a flyer asking me to attend a public comment meeting and raise concerns. I’m happy to complain, but according to the flyer, federal law bars the city from considering radiation/health concerns when approving or denying cell towers. Why can’t we consider public health? Who’s covering up the radiation hazards of cell signals? —No Irradiating My Brain, Yo!
It’s been a while since we’ve had a good old-fashioned comments section shitstorm here at Dr. Know, NIMBY, so what the hell—let’s wade into the morass of bad vibes and folk science surrounding cell towers and the deadly radiation they unleash upon an unsuspecting public. YOLO!
For now, though, let’s put aside whether cell towers actually are dangerous and focus on the shocking news that there’s some kind of federal gag order forbidding us to talk about that danger (at least in the context of deciding whether to allow a given tower to be built). This is the kind of Orwellian stifling of dissent that’s become all too common in Trump’s America. In this case, though, Orwell got a good jump on the stifling, since the rule is actually from the hoary old Telecommunications Act of 1996, written back when Netflix mailed DVDs and Pets.com sounded like a great idea.
In fairness to the legislators of bygone decades (most of whom are probably still in Congress), the rule isn’t designed to sweep potential hazards under the rug—it’s just saying that your local zoning board isn’t the venue to litigate them.
The Federal Communications Commission sets the emissions standards that cell towers need to meet; if you disagree with those standards, take it up with the FCC. It’s like how you might believe that tobacco products are a public health hazard (and you’d be right), but you still wouldn’t deny a building permit for a new 7-Eleven on the grounds that they’re going to sell cigarettes.
As to the substance of your neighbors’ complaints, I know trying to talk the 5G skeptics off the ledge is like trying to convince an Infowars die-hard to throw out his colloidal silver. So I’ll just say this: Lots of items we take for granted—smart TVs, wireless earbuds, Wi-Fi routers and especially personal cellphones—actually give you a higher dose of electromagnetic fields, or EMF, than a local cell tower. Our society would have to get rid all those things if low-level radio waves were really as dangerous as the alarmists say. Too bad they’re not.
Questions? Send them to dr.know@wweek.com.
