Subject: Locating cell phone antennas in historic buildings (Curry).
Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2000 034641 -0600
From: Roy Beavers
To: guru
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.......From EMF-L.......
Dr. Bill Curry has forwarded a most interesting example of the power of
the telecom industry ($$$$CTIA$$$$) and IGNORANCE to undermine the best
efforts of the EMF-L community when it comes to getting "the word" of
truth about EMF risks to the public...... Ignorance on the part of the
unwary public is one industry's greatest allies..... It is the U.S.
government that MOST OF ALL helps to perpetuate that ignorance -- just
as did our government for decades in the case of tobacco.......guru......
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Locating cell phone antennas in historic buildings
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 2000 18:23:01 -0600
From: "Bill P. Curry"
Reply-To: BPCurry@MCS.com
Organization: EMSciTek Consulting co.
To: roy@emfguru.com
Roy,
I want to let the EMF Guru list know about a misguided effort that, in my
opinion, should be squelched immediately. The Preservation Trust of Vermont
has coordinated the production and distribution of a document entitled
"Locating Telecommunications Towers in Historic Buildings" by Nancy E. Boone,
Ann Cousins, Holly Ernest Groschner, Thomas E. Keefe, Sheldon Moss, and Anne
Stillman. This document was developed for the National Trust for Historic
Preservation, and it bears their imprimatur as a National Trust Publication.
This slick document gives many details on how to mount cell phone base
stations and antennas inside historic buildings - including churches - to gain
revenue for the protection of these icons of our history. This misguided
effort was funded by (quoting from the inside cover of the document) grants
from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, from the National Center
for Preservation Technology and Training, the National Park Service, and the
U.S. Dept. of the Interior. Technical information and support was provided by
CTIA (Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association) through executives
David Diggs and Katherine Condello. Atlantic Cellular Co., LLC, a cellular
telephone company operating as Cellular One in New England and Hawaii, provided financial
support and a test case example. Project partners included the Vermont Agency of Commerce
and Community Development, Dept. of Housing and Community
Affairs, Division for Historic Preservation. The support of the Daniel K. Thorne
Foundation was also acknowledged by the National Trust, allowing for broad distribution of
the publication to preservationists across the country. The
document takes the position that hiding the unsightly antennas and towers inside historic
buildings relieves visual blight and gives details on how to do so, even
showing blueprint details of installations in church steeples.
The all important health effects issue is treated by reference to the FCC
web site and by the statements: "Numerous public health experts maintain that
there is presently no conclusive evidence that the operation of wireless cell
sites, compliant with federal safety regulations, is harmful to human health.
At the same time, many public health officials also agree that there are still
unanswered questions and additional research is needed." Thus, the document
essentially ignores any explicit reference to the very real hazards of
exposure of neighbors and visitors to nonionizing RF radiation at subthermal
levels - radiation densities below those at which biological tissues are
vulnerable to heating.
A reference to the EMR Network's web site is also mentioned - by
implication this appears to put the EMR Network in the position of agreeing
with the FCC on such positions, in spite of the fact that the EMR Network
has been quite outspoken about the health hazards of RF radiation at
subthermal levels.
The EMR Network was not approached about participating in this publication
nor told that its webs site would be given as a resource. If the request
or notification had come in advance, the EMR Network would have requested
that a statement of our position on the potential harm of exposure to radio
frequency radiation at ambient levels coming from wireless
telecommunications transmitters be included with the reference to our web site.
This document is quite thorough in describing alternate means of
installation in historic buildings, regional differences in the nature of
the historic structures, considerations of opposition within and outside of
the owning organization, how far to expect the telecommunications companies
to go in repairing historic structures, etc. It is quite seductive to historic
preservation groups, because several examples of groups receiving $40,000 -
$50,000 per year rental from telecommunications companies are mentioned, as
well as pictures of how historic buildings have been restored by companies
mounting antennas within these buildings.
Perhaps pressure from the public will get the National Trust for Historic
Preservation to retract or amend its position on this important matter. The
address and phone number for the National Trust are as follows:
National Trust for Historic Preservation
1785 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 588-6296
Organizations such as the National Trust are certainly sensitive to the
attitudes of their contributors, hence I strongly suggest that people
considering contributing to a historic preservation group should make their
thoughts about this issue known to the organization. We must nip this well
meaning, but potentially disastrous effort in the bud!
--
----
Bill P. Curry, Ph.D. |Physics is fun.
EMSciTek Consulting Co. |Trying to make a living!
22W101 McCarron Road, |Phone: (630) 858-9377
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 |Fax: (630) 858-9159
Web page: http://www.EMSciTek.com
____________________________________________________
| Analysis, experiment design & software development |
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Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com