The
nearby residents of Lake Lawrence, Washington are concerned over the possible
health and environmental effects that a new cell tower might have. On July 25th,
American Tower notified residents of a possible 180-foot monopole built on a
nine-acre parcel. While some residents are worried about this tower, others are
excited about the prospect of having better cell phone reception in the area.
AT&T
will be the first wireless carrier on the pole but other carriers will be able
to lease space on the cell tower to provide better reception to their
customers. Alison Baker, a nearby resident of the potential cell tower site, is
concerned about her the effect the radio frequency will have on her health as
well as the effect the electromagnetic field will have on her bees.
“I’m
a beekeeper and electromagnetic frequencies — bees, birds, insects, all go by
electromagnetics. That’s how they determine direction. So to have it on a piece
of property that borders a wetland as well as (what’s) considered a buffer
zone, that is a huge concern to me.” (Source: Nisqually Valley News)
The FCC reported that, “According to the FDA
and the World Health Organization (WHO), among other organizations, to date,
the weight of scientific evidence has not effectively linked exposure to radio
frequency energy from mobile devices with any known health problems.”
While cell towers may have an electromagnetic
field, it can only affect bees that are in extremely close proximity. In fact,
if there is just a cell phone (not a tower) near the beehive, the worker bees
will be unable to return.
Resident of Clearwood, Kali Phoenix, who lives
about seven miles from the proposed tower site is excited for the possibility
of a cell tower because they have no service. “She said the lack of cell phone
reception in the area poses a public hazard, because it delays response times
during emergencies when people trying to call for help can’t get good reception,”
the Nisqually Valley News reported.
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