Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Parents fight antenna near E.L. school-Impact on students of tower's emissions concerns residents

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2002 02:21:18 -0500

Parents fight antenna near E.L. school-Impact on students of tower's emissions concerns
residents

By Hugh Leach
Lansing State Journal

EAST LANSING - Despite assurances that a Nextel cell phone antenna atop a water
tower across from St. Thomas Aquinas School is safe, some parents are still worried.

The parents fear that long-term exposure to radio
frequency waves from the antenna, located atop
the water tower in nearby Patriarche Park, could
harm their children. They want the antenna
moved.

"We can't definitely say these waves are harmful,"
said parent Andrea Larkin, a leader in an effort to
move the antenna since shortly after it was installed
two years ago.

"But we don't want our kids to be guinea pigs in
case long-term exposure has an effect."

The city has paid for several studies and tests to
determine if there is a problem.

"All the science and the experts we hired have
testified there are not health concerns," said City
Manager Ted Staton. He said he didn't know how
much the city had spent.

Those studies deal only with short-term effects of
exposure, Larkin said.

"It's like conducting a study of the effect of tobacco use on someone who has only been
smoking for a month," Larkin said.

Councilman Bill Sharp opposes spending more on testing.

"We've tested everything we can test," he said. "But we don't know what the future
holds.

"This could be like the medicines that were considered wonder drugs 20 or 25 years ago
but now have been shown to cause birth defects."

The city has tried to work with Nextel Communications Inc. to find an alternate location
for the antenna. Nextel has rejected suggested alternate sites, contending they would
not provide the service area coverage it requires.

A Nextel representative twice canceled scheduled appearances at City Council
meetings to discuss the matter and did not respond to a third invitation, said City
Attorney Dennis McGinty.

There has been no response to recent letters asking Nextel executives to allow City
Council members to meet with them, Councilman Vic Loomis said.

"Although it appears there is no health hazard, no one is saying conclusively that there
is not," Loomis said.

"Where there is some doubt, particularly where it pertains to the youth of our
community, it is incumbent on us to pay attention, to learn more and to find an alternate
location for the antenna."

Calls to Nextel's Farmington Hills corporate office by The Lansing State Journal were not
returned Friday.

Nextel pays East Lansing $18,000 a year to allow the antenna to be located on city
property. The contract allows it to stay there for 30 years unless Nextel decides to
remove it.

"We would certainly more than gladly forgo any lease revenue from the use of the water
tower site if it provides peace of mind," Staton said.

The antenna was erected without the knowledge of the parents or the school. City policy
has since been changed to require notification to nearby property owners if such an
antenna is planned.

"The City Council realizes it made a mistake," said parent Mary Fineis. "But it's
between a rock and a hard place because of the contract. We're happy they changed
the policy, but it's too late to help us."

Contact Hugh Leach at 377-1119 or [email-masked].

http://www.lsj.com/news/local/021215_tower_3b.html

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