https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

issue_20050101


Fire Fighters Worry About Cell Phone Tower Radiation

Fire Fighters Worry About Cell Phone Tower Radiation

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the union representing more than 85 percent of the professional fire fighters and emergency medical
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 23rd May 2005

The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), the union representing more than 85 percent of the professional fire fighters and emergency medical personnel across the United States and Canada, is seeking funding for a study to establish if the use of fire stations as cellular phone base stations for antennas and towers is hazardous to the health of its members.

“There currently is no good scientific study that determines whether or not cell towers on fire stations are hurting our members, so a study must be done,” said IAFF General President Harold A. Schaitberger. ” “Fire fighters are already at a higher risk of injury and illness from the hazards of their job,” Schaitberger said. “But we will not accept our members being put in additional danger while at the station house from exposure to low-intensity radio frequency and microwave radiation that is emanated from these cell towers and antennas.”

Until the health effects are truly tested and known, the IAFF believes no additional cell towers or antennas should be positioned on or near fire stations. It is the general belief of international governments and of the wireless telecommunications industry that no consistent increases in health risk exist from exposure to radio frequency radiation. However, it’s important to note that these positions are based on non-continuous exposures to the general public to low intensity radio frequency fields emitted from wireless telecommunications base stations.

“Critical questions concerning the health effects and safety of radio frequency microwave radiation remain,” said Schaitberger. “We want answers, not the biased opinions of cell phone industry groups.”

Most studies on this subject are at least five years old, and generally look at the safety of the phone itself. IAFF members are concerned about the effects of living directly under these stations for a considerable stationary period of time and on a daily basis.

The IAFF and its medical team believe a study with the highest scientific merit and integrity, contrasting fire fighters with residence in stations with towers to fire fighters without similar exposure, is necessary to truly determine the effects of radio frequency radiation on the central nervous system (CNS) and the immune system, as well as other metabolic effects observed in preliminary studies.

Biological effects from exposure to low-level radio frequency microwave radiation have been recognized as markers of adverse health effects. Internationally acknowledged experts have shown that radio frequency microwave radiation transmissions of the type used in digital cellular antennas and phones can have critical effects on cell cultures, animals and humans in laboratories.

Studies have also found epidemiological evidence of serious health effects at “non-thermal” levels where the intensity of the radiation was too low to cause heating, including increased cell growth of brain cancer cells, changes in tumor growth, more childhood leukemia, changes in sleep patterns, headaches and neurological changes, decreased memory, retarded learning, increased blood pressure and other health hazards.

The IAFF’s efforts will attempt to establish a correlation between such biological effects and a health risk to fire fighters and emergency medical personnel due to the citing of cell phone antennas and base stations at fire stations and facilities where they work.

Tags: ar issue_20050101 mag

Most Recent


  • What’s my truck worth?
    Truck Value VIN Decoding & Make/Year/Model Lookup
  • Fire Fighters Worry About Cell Phone Tower Radiation
    Calendar of events
    A list of NIGP courses, conferences and webinars for NIGP members held in December 2012 and January 2013.
  • Fire Fighters Worry About Cell Phone Tower Radiation
    NIGP's 67th Annual Forum and Products Exposition
    Awards presented at NIGP Forum recognized procurement professionals "reaching new heights."
  • Fire Fighters Worry About Cell Phone Tower Radiation
    UPPCC new certifications
    The Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council announces that 208 individuals successfully completed the spring 2012 UPPCC certification examinations administered in May 2012.

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Fire Fighters Worry About Cell Phone Tower Radiation
    xxxNEWS OF THE WEIRDxxx
  • Fire Fighters Worry About Cell Phone Tower Radiation
    xxxNEWS OF THE WEIRDxxx
  • Fire Fighters Worry About Cell Phone Tower Radiation
    xxxNEWS OF THE WEIRDxxx
  • Fire Fighters Worry About Cell Phone Tower Radiation
    xxxNEWS OF THE WEIRDxxx

White papers


7 Resources to Level-up Your Federal Grants Administration and Compliance

5th September 2023

Elevator Phone Line Replacement Strategy | A Guide to Reliable, Code-Compliant Solutions

29th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing Report: The Bright Future of Public Procurement

23rd August 2023
view all

Webinars


Grant Preparedness: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Success

10th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing: Taking Local Governments into a Bright Future

1st August 2023

Stop Playing with Fire: How to Manage Infrastructure Asset Risk So You Know You’re Covered

20th June 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Gallery: Hottest temperatures recorded in American cities during July

12th September 2023

The top 10 Asthma Capitals for 2023

7th September 2023

U.S. cities with the cleanest air from latest “State of the Air” report

5th September 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.