Question about 'towers'

[Ele'ill]

I've heard a lot about this type of stuff but never really became engaged.

How serious of an issue is this? (links would be great)

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2010/12/404141.shtml

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

It's a non-issue. There's no evidence that radiation from mobile phones (or cell sites (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_site)) is of sufficient energy to cause damage:

"For example, measurement data obtained from various sources have consistently indicated that "worst-case" ground-level power densities near typical cellular towers are on the order of 1 µW/cm2 or less (usually significantly less)." (LINK (http://www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety/cellpcs.html))

That's about 0.01 Watt per square metre. That's tiny; most domestic light bulbs are more powerful.

We have been using far more powerful radio transmitters and radar stations for years (and a sufficiently powerful radar will cook you if you stand too close), yet cancer rates are not statistically greater near such facilities.

Furthermore, photons of the microwave bands used by mobile phones have insufficient energy (1.24 milli-electron Volt, compared to a hard gamma photon - AKA nuclear radiation - 1.24 mega-electron Volt) to directly damage DNA - microwaves damage tissues through dielectric heating, and it's fairly obvious that cell sites are not cooking people to death in large numbers. Look at a scientifically-annotated electromagnetic spectrum diagram, and you will see that microwave photons pack less punch than those of visible light, yet nobody is calling for lighting to be banned.

Stuff like this is just another symptom of a public that has been ill-served by the education system, especially on scientific subjects. It's yet more FUD ("http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt) brought on by technology that is at once ubiquitous and mysterious, and shamefully people tend to fear what they don't understand.

Similar concerns about Wi-Fi and the like are also groundless. It's pitiful that some people are getting worked up about cell sites when there are far more pressing issues they could be devoting their time and effort to - and stuff that is proven to damage health and the environment to boot.