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Cell Phone Tower Health Risks

Cell phones became prevalent in the United States in the early 1990s and their usage has steadily increased since. To support the now great number of cell phone users, companies construct cell phone towers (or base stations) in many areas. The cell phone towers emit and receive radio frequency (RF) signals which many people fear pose serious health risks, even increasing the likelihood of cancers.

  1. What They Are and How They Work

    • Cell phone towers are typically free-standing structures that have room for antennas that reach upwards over the tallest structure in the area so that the antenna can fully cover the area. Cell towers mostly range in height from 50 to 200 feet. Cell phone towers can also be mounted to existing structures (buildings or trees, etc.) to ensure that the antennas cover the surrounding area. The antennas provide reach for the cell phone coverage range.

    The Problem

    • The cell phone towers both give and receive radio frequency waves which is an energy form non-ionizing radiation. Non-ionizing radiation is a weak form of radiation which can potentially lead to health damages. In particular, because cell phone towers are becoming more pervasive due to the increasing usage of cell phones, RF signals are also increasing. Despite the fact that RF signals are a very weak form of radiation, some analysts say that even a weak form of radiation in large quantities can be highly detrimental to your health.

    The Cancer Risk

    • The emission of RF waves at high levels are of particular concern to people who live, work or go to school within close proximity of the cell phone towers. While radiation signals are known to be a causing factor of cancer, the energy of RF signals emitted by cell phone towers is not strong enough to break the chemical bonds in various DNA molecules.

    Other Health Risks

    • While there is relatively weak evidence to suggest that the cell phone tower radiation is sufficient to do health damage, doctors at the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center argue that the RF waves can harm the DNA structure in our bodies. Unrelated to the radiation, some analysts suggest that cell phone towers pose other health risks that are potentially damaging. Some biomedical engineers, such as Mariana Alves-Pereiras, argue that "vibroacoustic disease" is caused by an exposure to constant, low-frequency noise that is emitted from cell phone towers.

    Limiting Exposure

    • Despite the fact that most evidence points to the idea that cell phone towers are not that problematic for your health, there are several things that you can do to limit your exposure to the RF waves and "vibroacoustic" sounds. Governments have placed acceptable range limitations on cell phone towers and you can contact the cell phone providers or the government if you believe that the ranges are not being adhered to.

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