CA Senate SB-649 April 4 Testimony

Testimony by Scientists for Wired Technology during the 4/4/17 Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee Hearing regarding SB.649 Wireless Telecommunications Facilities

Today, I will be entering substantial scientific evidence into the public record in my testimony. I have read and quantitatively evaluated many peer reviewed Supreme Court Daubert-rule-admissible, scientific studies that conclude direct damages to humans and other living organisms from pulsed, radiofrequency microwave radiation, RFR for short.

I am not speaking about issues of concern, worry or risk, but about established biological hazards from RFR exposures. I attest and affirm my statements are true, accurate and within my personal knowledge.

The four studies I will introduce today supplement over 100 studies about adverse bio-effects from RFR exposures many times lower than current Federal RFR guidelines — studies that we entered into the public record in July 2015 in opposition to Assembly Bill 57 as one can view on Youtube here and here. House AB-57 is very similar to today’s bill, Senate Bill-649; both bills were co-authored by the same CA Assembly Member, Bill Quirk.

Part 1: Testimony Against CA Assembly Bill 57 (the Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Shot Clock Bill)

Part 2: Testimony Against CA Assembly Bill 57 (the Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Shot Clock Bill)


Continue reading “CA Senate SB-649 April 4 Testimony”

Oppose CA SB.649: Wireless Telecommunications Bill

SB.649: A CA State Bill Attempting to put Lipstick on a Pig

Senate Bill 649 is a proposed law (mostly written by AT&T, Verizon and the lobbying group, CTIA), to allow bulky and large cell phone equipment sites nearly anywhere — including refrigerator-sized electrical supply cabinets on streets and sidewalks in front of homes. SB.649 is a bad bill; it cannot be corrected by any clever amendments. Urge your CA State Senators to vote NO on SB.649. Californians deserve much better: One Big Dig — fiber optic cables buried in the ground to every business, home school and farm. Doing so makes all of the equipment shown below unnecessary.

These are the large electrical supply cabinets that SB.649 would allow to be placed on the sidewalk directly in front of your home. The various cabinets are for equipment and that can pollute your neighborhood with 24/7 noise and can leak toxic chemicals. The cabinets contain all kinds of electrical equipment, burning energy 24/7/365 to support the broadcasting of Radio-Frequency Microwave Radiation (RF/MW radiation) directly into your bedrooms 24/7/365, forcing residents to endure the following:

  • 24/7/365 exposure to hazardous RF/MW radiation: proven  by our Federal government’s $25 million 16-year study to cause cancer and DNA damage
  • RF/MW radiation exposure also causes sleep problems, headaches and suppression of melatonin, a hormone critical for preventing cancer
  • Noisy cooling fans
  • Computers
  • Lead-acid batteries
  • Electric meters
  • Strong electric and magnetic fields from this equipment
  • Lots of Electrical waste (high frequency voltage transients) dumped back onto the electrical lines which flows directly into your homes

You will have to endure the presence of all of above (and your local government will have no say authority to say “NO”, if SB.649 passes. SB.649 guts local authority to prevent the abomination shown in this photo and is taxpayer giveaway to Wireless Carriers, the large campaign contributors or our legislators. Please read a recent article by Susan CrawfordHandcuffing Cities to Help Telecom Giants. Continue reading “Oppose CA SB.649: Wireless Telecommunications Bill”

Ohio Cities Sue State Over Wireless Antennas

Press Release: Ohio Cities to Challenge Wireless Facilities Law

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Members of the Central Ohio Mayors and Managers Association (“COMMA”) announced today the filing of legal action seeking to overturn S.B. 331 passed by the General Assembly late last December. COMMA, an association of 17 cities within the Columbus region, is also being joined by members of the Greater Dayton Mayors and Managers Association and other Ohio cities seeking court action to overturn a law which they believe violates the Ohio Constitution.

Press conference on Youtube here

SB 331 was passed by the Ohio General Assembly during the lame-duck session at the end of 2016. The bill was signed by Governor Kasich December 19, 2016 and is set to become effective March 21. Continue reading “Ohio Cities Sue State Over Wireless Antennas”

Hazards of EMFs and RF Microwave Radiation


For 25 years, starting in 1953, the Soviets used RF Microwave radiation to covertly attack the U. S. embassy staff in Moscow, Russia. The ongoing irradiation campaign affected about 1,800 employees and 3,000 dependents housed at the embassy during this period. The Russians targeted the U.S. embassy with RF Microwave radiation weapons from 2400 to 4100 MegaHertz (MHz), frequencies with wavelengths around 3 to 5 inches that are very similar to the wavelengths and power levels saturating us today where we live, work, go to school, commute and play. The very same adverse health outcomes inflicted on U. S. embassy personnel (cardiac problems, neurological damages, altered blood cell counts, increased chromosome aberrations, elevated cancer in children and adults, and illnesses increasing in a dose-response manner with cumulative time of exposure) are being caused today by the use of and exposure to ubiquitous Wireless mobile devices and infrastructure. Continue reading “Hazards of EMFs and RF Microwave Radiation”

3/2/17 Senate Hearing on Wireless Technology and Spectrum Policy

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: Value of Spectrum the U.S. Economy

Highlights of Congressional Record for March 2, 2017.

Wireless Technology and Spectrum Policy Representatives from the communications industry testified at a hearing on wireless technology and spectrum policy, including the Federal Communication Commission’s recent spectrum auctions. Issues addressed included the innovation, economic impact and future security of communications and wireless devices and applications, as well as the licensing and efficiency of spectrum usage by those continually evolving technologies.

Continue reading “3/2/17 Senate Hearing on Wireless Technology and Spectrum Policy”

Wall Street Journal: Cellphone Boom Spurs Antenna-Safety Worries

By Ianthe Jeanne Dugan and Ryan Knutson; Oct. 2, 2014 7:37 p.m. ET; Original article here.

Many Sites Violate Rules Aimed at Protecting Workers
From Excessive Radio-Frequency Radiation


Radio-frequency engineer Marvin Wessel has taken readings at
more than 3,000 cellphone antenna sites across the country.

The antennas fueling the nation’s cellphone boom are challenging federal safety rules that were put in place when signals largely radiated from remote towers off-limits to the public.

Now, antennas are in more than 300,000 locations—rooftops, parks, stadiums — nearly double the number of 10 years ago, according to the industry trade group CTIA.

Federal rules require carriers to use barricades, signs and training to protect people from excessive radio-frequency radiation, the waves of electric and magnetic power that carry signals. The power isn’t considered harmful by the time it reaches the street, but it can be a risk for workers and residents standing directly in front of an antenna.

One in 10 sites violates the rules, according to six engineers who examined more than 5,000 sites during safety audits for carriers and local municipalities, underscoring a safety lapse in the network that makes cellphones hum, at a time when the health effects of antennas are being debated world-wide.

The FCC has issued just two citations to cell carriers since adopting the rules in 1996. The FCC says it lacks resources to monitor each antenna.

“It’s like having a speed limit and no police,” said Marvin Wessel, an engineer who has audited more than 3,000 sites and found one in 10 out of compliance.

On a sweltering June day in Phoenix, Mr. Wessel strolled through a residential area near Echo Canyon Park and spotted lawn chairs near a T-Mobile US Inc. cellular antenna painted brown to match a fence. His monitor showed emissions well above safety limits.

After being alerted by The Wall Street Journal, T-Mobile added warning signs and roped off a patch in front of the antenna with a chain. “The safety of the public, our customers and our employees is a responsibility that all of us here at T-Mobile take very seriously,” said a T-Mobile spokeswoman.

At very high levels, radio-frequency radiation can cook human tissue, the FCC said, potentially causing cataracts, sterility and other health issues.

To buffer people from these “thermal” effects, the FCC set two limits for how much RF people can absorb—one for the general public, and an “occupational” limit five times higher for people trained to work near antennas. The higher level is still 10 times below the thermal level.

Carriers have to restrict access near antennas that are above the limits. Workers and others who venture into hot zones — generally up to 20 feet in front of an antenna—must be trained and have RF monitors.

Most cellular antennas aren’t strong enough to cause thermal problems, engineers say, and carriers are installing some smaller antennas with lower power levels. But some are being made stronger to meet demand for high-speed Internet access, high-definition video and other services. A German study in 2013 found higher emissions from 4G antennas.

The more bandwidth, the hotter they will be,” said Mr. Wessel, who expects some to exceed the thermal level within a year.

Richard Tell, a Nevada engineer, also expects some emissions to rise. At more than 1,000 sites nationally, he found roughly one in 10 out of compliance, similar to Mr. Wessel’s conclusion. Some are hidden or disguised for aesthetic reasons.

“I’ve been on rooftops looking for antennas and couldn’t find them because they were hidden in fake concrete blocks that were really foam,” he said.

Daniel Ranahan, a Lowell, Mass., roofer, said antennas are slowing jobs. “There’s no mechanism for the worker to know what buildings are safe,” he said.

Peter Chaney, the director of safety and health for the Mechanical Contractors Association of America, which represents companies with more than 270,000 workers, in August asked the FCC to create a database of cellular antennas.

One company, RF Check, in San Diego, has designed a protocol but requires collaboration from carriers and funding from phone customers.

Mr. Chaney is developing a training video and brochure on RF safety to distribute to the association’s members next year.

“We want workers to know that the antennas are there and that there may be a potential hazard,” he said. “I’m concerned about the chronic effect of this. If guys have 30-year careers and they’re exposed to these things on a regular basis—is there any long-term effect?”

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health began studying that question after the World Health Organization in 2011 categorized RF radiation as a possible carcinogen, said Gregory Lotz, the top RF expert for NIOSH. And the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health is exploring lower-level RF exposure.

An FCC guideline written after the rules were adopted notes studies showing “relatively low levels” of RF radiation can cause “certain changes in the immune system, neurological effects, behavioral effects,” and other health issues, including cancer. “Results to date have been inconclusive,” however, the agency said in a guide to radio-frequency radiation, and need to be studied further.

Among those concerned is Gilbert Amelio, a scientist who was chief executive of Apple Inc. and National Semiconductor and a board member of AT&T Inc. He believes industry leaders will “take whatever steps may be necessary to prevent harm to workers or others who may have good reason to be close to these sites.”

Jimmy Crespo complained to federal labor regulators in 2011 that he became disabled with cognitive issues after working more than 300 times on heating and cooling systems for antennas for Johnson Controls Inc., a Sprint Corp. contractor.

“I had no training, no monitoring devices and no warning from my employer,” Mr. Crespo said.

Regulators asked Johnson to ensure the rules were being followed. Johnson said it no longer had the contract, and Sprint said the systems were a safe distance from antennas.

Employees were not working in an area where radio frequencies would pose a hazard,” a Johnson spokesman said.

Sprint said annual checks show all sites are compliant.

AT&T said it places “the utmost importance on the safety of workers and the public from RF emissions and we have a rigorous safety program in place to minimize exposure to RF emissions.”

The FCC in April signed a consent decree with Verizon Communications Inc. to settle RF violations in Pennsylvania and Connecticut, involving an unlocked rooftop and a missing sign. Verizon agreed to pay $50,000 and to train employees and contractors, and check other sites.

The carrier has told regulators that property owners complicate compliance.

“In New York City, condominium tenants became upset and concerned with RF notification signs we placed on a terrace access point,” Tamara Preiss, Verizon’s vice president of federal regulatory affairs, wrote to the FCC in February. Ms. Preiss said the signs were removed after the tenants hired a lawyer.

Insurers are becoming concerned. “The risk is often transferred to ‘unsuspecting’ property owners,” Roger Egan, executive chairman of Risk Strategies Co., told the FCC.

Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. and A.M. Best Co., the insurance-rating agency, have flagged RF as an emerging risk. Swiss Re wrote in a 2013 report that if RF radiation is linked to health problems it “could ultimately lead to large losses.”

Write to Ianthe Jeanne Dugan at ianthe.dugan@wsj.com and Ryan Knutson at ryan.knutson@wsj.com