Imagine a neighborhood group messaging one day with news that a 80 plus foot tall, multiple-antenna cell phone tower was being constructed right in your neighborhood and without any public say in the matter. That’s what is happening here in our community by Elmwood Canal by the lake in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

An AT&T wireless cell phone tower 4G is being built right in our neighborhood and we have had no say in the process. We need your help to stop it!

This tower will potentially put our entire neighborhood of hard-working families at high risk of health problems associated with cell phone towers 24/7 “always on” radio frequency radiation (RFR) and non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF).

Cell phone towers are being installed with no environmental impact studies. FCC (Federal Communications Commission) is dominated by the telecom industry and allows for this unchecked expansion, while scientists, doctors and the public are sounding the alarm against these installations. Worse yet, these cell towers are being constructed around residential areas where children are the most vulnerable to the negative impacts of unchecked wireless radiation. Legislators need to push back against the rampant and irresponsible installation and propagation of these microwave radiating devices.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996, 704(a) iv, prevents states, local governments, planning officials and communities from choosing to reject proposed cell towers for environmental (including health) reasons. The standard of emissions set by the FCC informed by studies conducted by organization with close links to the telecommunications industry, and is based on outdated technology, and ignores independent peer-reviewed studies linking cancer, tumors, and other diseases worldwide, to existing radio-frequency (RF) radiation. Hundreds of independent scientists have demanded a moratorium on new cell phone technology until safety issues are resolved for people and the environment.

AT&T is proposing to place a cell tower at Elmwood, LOT Y, Elmwood Lafreniere Plantation Subdivision, Metairie, LA 70003. Within 500 meters of this address, there is a residential neighborhood, bike paths, kids play area along the lake levee and an elementary school recreational zone.

Our opposition is based on the following concerns:

The World Health Organization (WHO) classified radio frequency electromagnetic fields (from cell towers) as a 2B possible carcinogen. Also in this category: insecticides (such as DDT), fungicides, lead, chloroform, dry cleaning fluids, gasoline and others. Studies have shown that significant effects on humans can occur within 500 meters from the base of a cell tower. These effects include:

  -Headaches/migraines, Sleep disturbances & insomnia, depression, mood    disorders, agitation, fatigue

  -Heart arrhythmia, palpitations, cardiomyopathy, Tinnitus

  -Developmental disorders & learning issues in children       

  -Skin rashes & allergies

  -Irritable bowel symptoms                                                    

  -Shortness of breath/asthma   

  -Infertility                                                                                

  -Leukemia/cancer, brain tumors,  Double DNA strand breaks & cancers(https://mdsafetech.org/2019/03/25/cell-tower-to-be-removed-after-4th-ripon-student-diagnosed-with-cancer/

Studies show serious biological and adverse health effects on humans within 400 meters of cellular transmitters. The results from a German study show a significantly increased likelihood (3x higher) of developing cancer for people living within 400 meters of a cell phone transmission mast. In addition, it found that people that lived within 400 meters tend to develop the cancers at a younger age. www.emrpolicy.org/science/research/docs/eger_naila_2004.pdf

Who knows what a safe distance will be with the newer stronger technologies or what the cumulative effects will be? We already have a cell tower in close proximity to the proposed plan that was built without our consent. At this point, there is also a lack of science regarding the impacts from the combination of multiple carcinogens present in our environment. Do we want to risk impacting the health of our children, pregnant moms, elderly parents and neighbors, pets and susceptible residents? Children and seniors are more at risk.

Widespread use of digital media and near constant exposure to wireless devices has caused increasing concern among scientists, healthcare professionals, psychologists, educators and the public who are now considering this is not only a public health issue but a looming public health crisis. It appears that we are at the same point of emerging science similar to early recognition of health impacts associated with tobacco, asbestos, coal dust and lead. These concerns are amplified by industry proposals for a massive expansion of wireless infrastructure and connectivity.  https://mdsafetech.org/

There is no government oversight to ensure that radio frequency radiation levels stay below current FCC guidelines, which only protect us from heating and burning. Yet thousands of peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown biological effects like DNA, cell and sperm damage at levels well below current FCC guidelines. A solution to understand is that this technology can be achieved and made possible through fiber optics hard-wired connections to our homes for much faster and more reliable services.

We are fellow community members spreading the word, to stop and change this. If we all don’t stand up for each other now, very soon we will be surrounded by many more cell towers emitting high frequency radio waves.

We request Jefferson Parish council including the Parish President, Cynthia Lee Sheng, and the councilman Dominick Impastato, Glenn Gillen with GC Towers, LLC and AT&T to reconsider the cellular phone tower placement at Elmwood Lot Y to protect the residents and neighborhoods of our community.

Our health, environment and future are at stake.

More links:
1. https://ehtrust.org/a-cautionary-tale-from-firefighters-of-california-fighting-cell-towers-on-stations/

2. https://mdsafetech.org/cell-tower-and-city-ordinances/

Click here to know more about other cities and residents

3. Eight years ago, a report by the Government Accountability Office urged the FCC to formally reassess and, if appropriate, change its radio frequency (RF) energy exposure limits and mobile phone testing requirements.  These standards, adopted in 1996, did not reflect the way people use their phones, particularly when phones are held against the body. Learn more about landmark case against the FCC https://ehtrust.org/eht-takes-the-fcc-to-court/

4. Current studies suggest both short-term and long-term health risks within 300-400 meters of a cell tower. Thus, great precautions should be taken to site cell towers away from the most susceptible segments of the population, such as children.” www.wireless-precaution.com/main/doc/CellPhoneTowerEffects.pdf and http://whyfry.org/brazilian-study-cancer-associated-with-radiation-from-cellular-antennas/

5. https://www.5gcrisis.com/