Verizon Wireless has proposed to erect a 99 foot tall cell phone tower on Piney Orchard Elementary School property. Many parents whose children attend the elementary school, as well as many residents who live in the surrounding neighborhoods are strongly opposed to installing a cell phone tower in this location.

Potential health risks to children and families – Cell phone towers emit radio frequencies (RF), a form of electromagnetic radiation (EMR), for a distance of up to 2.5 miles. Studies have shown that even at low levels of this radiation, there is evidence of damage to cell tissue and DNA, and it has been linked to brain tumors, cancer, suppressed immune function, depression, miscarriage, Alzheimer’s disease, and numerous other serious illnesses1. Children are at the greatest risk, due to their thinner skulls, and rapid rate of growth. In 2011, The World Health Organization/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified EMR as possibly carcinogenic to humans based on an increased risk for glioma (a malignant type of brain cancer). 

The cell phone industry may argue that there is no definitive evidence that these towers are harmful, but WE argue that there is no clear evidence that these towers are safe. Do we really want our children to be part of this risky experiment?

Negative impact on home values and visual appeal – The current tree line behind the elementary school is approximately 65 feet high and the proposed tower will be 99 feet high...that’s about as tall as a TEN story building! Even though the tower will be “disguised” as a tree, it will extend more than 30 feet above any other tree in that area. This would be visually unappealing and would likely have a negative impact on the resale value of the homes near the school.

We must tell Verizon, the Anne Arundel County School Board and our state representatives that we do NOT want a cell phone tower at our elementary school!

ALSO - VOICE YOUR OPINION at the community meeting on Monday, May 20th at 7pm at the West County Library. Milestone Communications representatives will be there to hear our voices!

1Microwave and Radio Frequency Radiation Exposure, San Francisco Medicine , Vol. 74, No 3, March 2001