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Cellular phones
QUESTION: A cellular communications tower was recently built near my home. Does this present a risk I should be worried about?
Answer: These cellular towers are the base stations for the cells that make up the coverage area for a cellular telephone network. Most of these towers are 50 to 200 ft tall with an antenna mounted on top. These antennas emit radiofrequency electromagnetic waves but at a level much lower than those associated with commercial radio and television stations. The radiofrequency energy these cellular antennas radiate has a power level similar to the energy emitted by common household light bulbs. The strength of these electromagnetic fields (EMFs) decreases rapidly with distance from the antennas and the exposures usually occur hundreds of feet away. In some locations around these facilities, the strength of these fields can decrease to almost undetectable levels at the site property line. Even the peak levels seen are thousands of times lower than the limits set for human exposure to radiofrequency EMFs.
While the biological effects of exposure to much higher intensity radiofrequency fields have been somewhat determined, there is research presently underway to delineate what possible biological effects, if any, are linked to the low intensity exposures near cellular towers. Currently, there is no significant indication that chronic exposure to the EMFs around cellular sites has any potential to be hazardous to human health.
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