Lawmakers address health concerns of people working near antennas
Two United States lawmakers are urging the FCC to address potential health issues facing wireless-industry technicians and others—including roofers, building maintenance personnel, painters, and firefighters—who work in close proximity to cellular antennas.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) have sent a letter to FCC chairman Tom Wheeler contending that 250,000 people who work in close proximity to cell antennas may be exposed to RF radiation in excess of the FCC’s human exposure limits. They cite research showing that RF-induced thermal effects on biological tissue can result in eye damage, sterility, and cognitive impairments.
They write that cell towers have been free-standing structures with restricted access, but carriers are increasingly leasing rooftop space, resulting in cellular antennas appearing on apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, places of worship, fire stations, and other public and private buildings.
They note that wireless carriers can outfit their employees with training and protective equipment and can power-down antennas during maintenance, but unaffiliated workers receive no such benefits. Such workers may not even be aware that they are in close proximity to camouflaged stealth antennas.
They praise the FCC’s March 27, 2013, Report and Order, which reminds FCC licensees of their obligation to address worker exposure limits, and note that a Further NPRM (notice of proposed rule making) “…advances new specific requirements for ensuring licensees comply with exposure limits under the different RF exposure categories.”
They add, “We urge the FCC to move swiftly to finalize the Further NPRM and to consult with OSHA and others to ensure that the final rule is effective, We also expect that in the interim, the FCC, in collaboration with OSHA, will continue to proactively enforce all existing requirements, including tower-climber safety, and hold accountable all licensees that fail to implement the safeguards requited to protect workers.”
