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Hello

I recently rented a small appartment and I am a bit shocked by the discovery that there is a big cellphone tower only 75meters away from the appartment, with closest antennas 25meter above the ground. My appartment is on the ground floor!

I live in belgium so I guess that compared with other countries, the towers are quite low in radiation.

I know scientific studies say that cell towers are safe,
but if they are safe... why then are so many people screaming out how:
"since the mast was put close to their homes":
- many people in the street developed cancer
- many people in the street started getting headaches and CFS

in higher numbers than are considered normal?

if the towers are safe, why have so many doctors signed the "Freiburger Appeal"?

and last but not least,
how does cellphone tower radiation compare with the radiation that comes from Wifi Routers, and so on?

Is high frequency (cell tower) not more dangerous than low frequency (60hz - household)?

What about the Pulsing? Or other "undiscovered dangers" that could explain all the people who claim to have bad experience with cell towers?

There is no established science on the topic; even the studies that assert there is a problem don't really say that; they just say 'we don't know and need to study it more!'

You're just going to have to grow up, and stop listening to all those ignorant ninnies who delight in scaring the uninformed.

The radiation level from the cell tower is much less than that you get when you are talking on your own cellphone. Also the cell tower antennas aim most of their radiation towards the horizon. Some radiation is spilled to down below, but it is much less than that from your own cellphone.

Radiationman:

Welcome to ECN Forums!!

I agree with the above comments, there is no proven documentation of any cell tower issues with radiation.

Years back, I seem to remember people complaining about microwave ovens.

how much less?

because a cellphone causes a lot radiation.
remember a tower is 24/7.

if it's only 20 times less, but still 24/7 that is still A LOT of radiation...

can you make an estimation?

a while back i read somewhere that wifi @ 5 meter would be 0,15V/m,
that is something i could live with.

but if a Cell Tower would radiate the whole appartment at for example 2,15V/m,
then i would find that a bit much.

what do you think?


answers are very much appreciated!
they mean a lot to me.

i might be mildly electrosensitive and i have heart arrhythmia,
for this reason i try to limit my exposure.

i am not planning to move out of the city into the jungle though,
so all i would really love to know is if radiation from the tower i described is higher, lower or about equal than say a wifi station at close distance?

aditionally, the fact i live so close to that tower,
and I live at ground floor...

and the antennas are 25m high and have angles at between 5° and 10°,
doesn't that mean that i will have less radiation from that tower than if i would live 200 meters away from it?

it's not my intention to be a nuisance here...
if you could answer the two questions in THIS POST right here I would be very happy.

Thank you.

This sort of thing is the result of the mass hysteria whipped up by the news media and other groups that fail to understand the theory behind radio waves, sometimes conveniently.

To merely call the EM field that is transmitted from an antenna such as that used on a cell-phone tower "radiation" is missing the point.
It is not the same sort of thing as the radiation that comes from uranium or other radioactive isotopes.

References have also been made to microwave ovens, in the debate about cell-towers, however you have to remember that a microwave oven uses power levels in the hundreds of watts, not the micro-watt levels associated with cell-towers.

Radio waves are all around us and have been since Marconi started his experiments in 1895.

Now, the reason these cell antennas are installed so high, is not because of the perceived health risk to people, it is because they use such low powered transmitters and coupled with the fact that they use extremely high frequencies, they need to be high to transmit signals that are by nature line of sight.

You are putting out numbers. Does that mean you have a means of measuring them? If so, why don't you measure them yourself?

Trumpy,

As far as "radiation", there are several types of radiation and different types have different affects. Ionizing radiation from Uranium and the like can spit out Alpha particles, Beta and Gamma radiation and Neutrons. Each one of these _can_ cause damage but _won't necessarily_ cause damage. Alot of it depends on where it hits your body, how much radiation is present, how much energy the specific type of radiation has at the time of collision, and what that specific cell of your body is doing at the time of collision.

Our bodies are getting hit with ionizing radiation all of the time. You are receiving it from the SUN, other stars, the rocks around you, the bananas you eat, the cigars and cigarettes people smoke, the person sleeping next to you, the steel in you car, medical x-rays, etc. IT'S EVERYWHERE!

Non-ionizing radiation comes from all electrical and magnetic fields. Kind of hard to avoid them on our planet. Not to mention Visible and non-visible light.

radiationman,

Just realize that the universe is out to kill you and eventually it will succeed.

Go for the ride and enjoy it as long as you can.

Larry C

The FCC has online a paper that addresses this topic.
FCC paper on RF exposure Page 20 talks about cell towers. The FCC has rules about RF exposure levels to the public, along with otehr rules about radio spectrum use.

Another factor to consider.

Unlike most radiation, these towers use waveguides and other tricks to deliver a shaped emission.

In this case, the emitter attempts to spread as nearly horizontal a beam pattern as possible. ( within limits )

So if you're standing next to the tower, at the base, you are effectively shadowed. Anyone phoning from such a spot is very likely to find that the next tower over is the one linking up to their cell phone.

So, by being at the ground level, right next to a tower, you're probably in a very weak zone. You're actually in the shadow of the nearest, and at the edge of acceptable performance for the next tower.

My home is right at the crossover for Verizon. So my phone gets great reception in the backyard -- then nothing to lousy in the garage -- and then terrific at the front property line with a direct line of sight to the tower. Yeah, my house is on a hill.

Could you say with certainty,
that the "EMF" from that tower is weaker near my appartment,
than for example at 200 metres away from it?

This thread is beginning to annoy me. As far as I'm concerned, this new member is neither curious or concerned - he's just trying to muck things up.

I say this because he has responded to Tesla's excellent, detailed response with an unansewerable question. The question deliberately ignores Tesla's explanation of how the transmissions are aimed, rather than radiating equally in all directions. The OP is, in effect, asking 'how long is a rope?'

The OP has been directed to specific FCC resource materials on the topic. Let him read and learn if that's his desire; let him save his bar-room philosophy for another forum.

Reno. I get your point and I agree this site is for discussion between experts and not necessarily this subject. I am an amateur radio operator and find the discussion stimulating as I have learned some other sources for this subject. While the lack of aknowledgment from the poster is a little irritating I have still gleaned some new information.
Radiationman
You have been given the resources and links to the information you seek but if you really want to know what the emmissions are in your apartment then get a person with the test equipment to take direct readings in your living space and only those measurments can determine whether the levels of exposure are dangerous to you. You have enough to see if those levels are considered dangerous.
An RF meter in the frequency range of the output of that cell tower and you will know the exposure levels that effect you. Then you can take that information and debate it with the radio nutbars and real experts.
I think your generic questions have been addressed but the questions about your apartment cannot be answered any better than we have already.
I would not avoid living in an apartment near a cell tower. I might avoid a radio station transmitting at 50,000 watts especially if I did not like their programming ;-)
respectfully
Mshea

This mod will make a decission soon....lock or leave?

I have found the answers I was hoping to find from you people, over at the physics forums.

It was not my intention to annoy, although I can see how I have.
Thank you all.

how strong is the natural human energy field by the way?

What's a "natural human energy field"?
It sounds like 'The Force' from the movie Star Wars, but worded differently.

Reno, you have my vote.

I'm going to lock this thread, it's against the terms and conditions of the Forums here.