The Naperville School District 203 meeting held on November 4, 2013, discussed the possibility of installing cell towers on district property and facilities.
It would appear that Naperville School District 203 officials are unaware of the growing world-wide opposition to the installation of Wi-Fi in schools and that there might be a similar concern with cell towers being installed on school property. It is also disheartening that the City of Naperville actually appears to be encouraging these installations.
Regarding Wi-Fi connections, refer to the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) Letter to All US School Districts Regarding Use of Wired Connections. In that letter is the following statement:
“While the debate ensues about the dangers of Wi-Fi, cell phone towers and cell phones, it is the doctors who must deal with the after effects. Until we can determine why some get sick and others do not, and some are debilitated for indeterminate amounts of time, we implore you to not take the risk, with the health of so many children who have entrusted you to keep them safe while at school.”
Furthermore, in November 2013, the AAEM issued a position on “Wireless Radiofrequency Radiation in Schools” that includes the language that follows:
“The AAEM strongly supports the use of wired Internet connections and encourages avoidance of radiofrequency [radiation] such as from Wi-Fi, cellular and mobile phones and towers, and ‘smart meters’.”
Please watch the video below and decide whether the installation of cell towers on district property and facilities is a concern for you.
Somewhat incredibly, once you include the City’s smart meters, it would appear that Naperville School District 203 officials are considering an “all of the above” approach for exposing your children to radiofrequency (RF) radiation.
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Note that the student ambassador present at the meeting raised a question regarding whether opponents of wireless smart meters might oppose the installation of cell towers on school property. In response specifically to the student ambassador’s question, the answer would probably be, “Conceptually, yes.” However, the installation of smart meters is a much more complicated issue dealing with not only health concerns but individual property rights, behavioral privacy, data security, safety risks due to potential fires, and a dispute over the alleged benefits of smart meters versus the costs.
The opposition to cell towers on school property would more likely originate from concerned parents and those of us who believe that a precautionary approach is warranted to limit new sources of exposure to our population, especially the young and most vulnerable among us. Quantitatively at this point, SkyVision Solutions doesn’t have any data on how “Wi-Fi exposure in a school” might compare, for example, to “cell tower exposure in a school,” or what might be the total power output of any cell towers that would be located on district property.
Also, one must acknowledge that due to adaptive power control, cell phones in close proximity to a cell tower do emit lower emissions (to the user) as compared to when the cell tower is more distant. Objectively, one would need to review how often people use cell phones on school property (or are allowed to use cell phones on school property) versus the continuous radiofrequency radiation exposure that would result to the entire school population with a cell tower or towers located on school property. However, avoidance of chronic, involuntary, and unnecessary RF exposure is consistent with the precautionary approach and would be given more consideration during any analysis of costs versus benefits. In addition, mere compliance with FCC exposure guidelines cannot be the sole criteria by which RF exposure on school property is determined to be “safe” or prudent.
For a related posting on cell towers being installed on school property, please refer to the following link: http://wp.me/p3nav9-1oz.
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