Subject:  Microwave tower worker exposure
Date:     Thu, 19 Jun 1997 161932 -0500 (CDT)
From:     Bob Weiner <drbobw@flash.net>
To:       Multiple recipients of list <emf-l@mail.llion.org>
--------------------------------------------------

June 19, 1997

At my request, a reporter for the Dallas Morning News did a story which
was published on May 17, 1997 about a Southwestern Bell Mobile cellular
antenna being built attached to a church in Plano, Texas.  The tower has
recently been finished out with a stucco exterior and is disguised as a
church tower with a cross on it.  My concerns were that lobbyists had
been able to get the city ordinance changed to allow a cell tower to be
placed wholly within a building allowed in a residential district
without any type of public hearing required for siting.  The church had
applied for a building permit in July, 1996 for a church tower.  In
October, 1996, SW Bell applied for a permit to do an interior finish out
to place a cell antenna.  The permit was approved, even though there was
no exterior structure.  The antenna was built first, then finished out.
The church has a preschool on site.

A few weeks after this article appeared, an attorney contacted me
wanting resources for his clients.  He represents 2 workers who were
involved in the final finish-out on the tower.  The workers had received
an emergency page from their supervisor telling them to get off the
scaffolding around the tower, as the antenna had been turned on for a
few days.  One worker had a total of 24 hours of exposure over a 4 work
day period, and the other worker had a 32 hour exposure over a 5 work
day period.  Part of the time involved putting shielding directly over
the broadcasting portion of the antenna while the power was on.  The
cellular frequency of the tower is 850 mhz.  The workers have some
physical symptoms which are persisting.  At this point, the attorney
says the symptoms do not appear to be severe, but he does not know what
symptoms may develop later.  The attorney has spoken with an attorney
from SW Bell who denies any health risks are involved.

Does anyone have any references of articles related to this type of
exposure?  Does anyone know of any physicians who could diagnose health
effects of this type of exposure?

Thanks for any help you can provide.  I will pass the information on to
the attorney.

Bob Weiner
drbobw@flash.net


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