Health Concerns of Electromagnetic Radiation

Physicians told the previous administration that there is a very real and very concerning body of evidence suggesting that RF radiation at doses within FCC guidelines have biologic significance and serious and harmful consequences. The County's Director of the Department of Health and the Environment, Dr. Mark Johnson, has testified that it would not be prudent to do anything that would increase RF exposure on Lookout Mountain, and that instead, it would be prudent to keep radiation exposure to as small a population as possible. The previous head of the Colorado Department of Health, Dr. Hoffman and the former head of the EPA division on nonionizing radiation, Dr. Mattson, advised the previous County Commissioners that the FCC radiation standards do not protect residents from long-term exposure. The FCC is ignoring numerous studies that indicate biological impacts from electromagnetic radiation exposure at levels far lower than experienced by much of our community.

Two epidemiological studies by the Colorado Department of Public Health and the Environment (“CDPHE”) that found statistically significant elevated numbers of brain tumors near the Lookout Mt. broadcast towers and a currently ongoing study by CSU and the University of Washington on Lookout Mountain residents sponsored by the National Institutes of Health suggest that there are significant and potentially adverse health impacts to nearby residents caused by the EMR from the existing towers on Lookout Mountain. The study was designed to look at 300 people including 75 children and then take careful RF measurements of each subject's individual exposure and then not look only for tumor incidents but actual bio-markers of disease. As pointed out by Penny Clarke, PhD Biology, these grants are hypothesis driven which means that CSU has provided sufficient data to convince other scientists that they will see adverse health effects and these effects do have the potential to cause cancer. Only about one in ten grants are funded. This study of Lookout Mountain residents measured is looking at melatonin and other sensitive bio-markers of diseased and pre-diseased states. Suppression of melatonin levels parlay to the development of brain cancer, DNA damage, immune system abnormalities, oxidant stress and abnormalities in enzymes that help control cell division. The results of this CSU study are not yet available to the public and are anticipated to be released in a series of published reports in peer reviewed scientific journals.

Dr. Reif, Epidemiologist, and one of the chief researchers of the CSU Study sent a letter to the previous Jefferson County Commissioners about the CSU Study, the Colorado Dept. of Health Brain Tumor Audit and studies documenting adverse health effects from non-ionizing radiation. Significantly, Dr. Reif is unaware of any human epidemiological studies of broadcast radiation that do not show a biological effect.

Health effects of electromagnetic fields that have been documented include brain cancer, childhood leukemia, birth defects, pregnancy, miscarriage and sleep disturbances. Altered calcium ion movement in brain cells causing disturbances in mentation and altered children's performances both mental and physical at levels between zero and 0.4 microwatts per centimeter square. (The FCC limits allow broadcasters to radiate us with up to 400 microwatts per centimeter squared. Many areas in our community already experience many times more than 0.4 microwatts per centimeter squared.) Plants and animals show distinct growth changes and alteration in cellular enzymes. Both human and animals cells have demonstrated modulation of gene expression, changes in the transcription pattern and protein synthesis. Basically theses are DNA effects and alterations in the DNA within the cell. RF radiation should be considered a carcinogenic risk and this was a position taken within the EPA early on in 1990 when there was really actually much less evidence of the potential harmfulness of exposure to EMF radiation. Exposure to RF signals averages of 5 microwatts per kilogram are capable of inducing chromosome damage and human lymphocytes. This radiation caused increases in a number of micronucleated cells in the brain. Abnormal DNA effects and abnormal micronucleated cells have been found.

The exposure to as low as two microwatts per centimeter squared may have long term health effects. This radiation may have a role as a promoter of malfunction within the cells, an event that causes cells to develop cancer. Mutated DNA can form a cancer gene as opposed to normal genes in your body and other specific messenger RNA sequences in several types of cells exposed to low frequency magnetic fields. The delayed impact of this radiation is similar to the sun and skin cancer. Other examples of adverse biological impacts from this radiation include:

• Irreversible infertility in mice.
• Danish military personnel exposed to RF emitting radar showing reduced sperm counts.
• Immune system abnormalities
• Reduced lymphocyte population (white blood cells that play a critical role in immune surveillance and go around looking for tumor cells) in women with residential RF exposure at only one to two percent of the maximum permitted exposure.
• Some neurological and developmental impairment is also associated with RF exposure. School children living in the area of a radio location station had less developed memory and attention, slowed reaction times and deceased neurological endurance. In a second study people who lived and worked near radio antennae and radar installations showed deficits in psychological and short-term memory tests.

In recent hearings before the past administration, the vast majority of testimony from researchers, physicians, engineers and other experts opposed new broadcast use on Lookout or Mt. Morrison . As C.U. Health Center Cancer Physicians wrote in their letter to the previous County Commissioners. “We know of no other instance where a device, chemical or drug would be imposed on the public without proof of its safety.” Eighteen physicians, 17 scientists and researchers in this community testified under oath to the previous administration about the dangers of electromagnetic radiation They explained that occupational studies of persons who are occupationally exposed to electric and magnetic fields showed increased rates of leukemia and a 10 to 20% increase in the rate of brain cancer. Steve Grabowski, MD, MPH, described the situation of forcing residents to endure this radiation without consent in terms of ethics: “we are setting up an experiment without the express written consent of the experimental subject…They involve likely suffering and possibly death in real people, your constituents, your neighbors, your friends and even family members.”

Children are at even more risk from high frequency DTV signals than adults because the lower wavelength is closer to their height. The peak absorption for DTV frequencies is at one foot. Because of the children's smaller height their bodies are more often efficient at absorbing the energy from these wavelengths…child at 20 times more risk then adult to radiation from high frequency DTV. Children are more susceptible because they continue to grow, subjecting their cells to this radiation over and over causing accumulating effects. Children's surface to body mass ratio is higher so children have proportionately more skin exposed relative to their weight than adults.

Other Colorado Counties have already evaluated this form of radiation, and adopted safety thresholds far below the FCC's radiation limits. The Tri-County Health Department serves Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas Counties . Since 1986, Tri-County has used 2 microwatts per centimeter squared, at a resident's property line, as a level that triggers Tri-County's threshold of concern.
Tri-County is careful to note that they are not even assured that such a level is safe. Nevertheless, this level is 200 times lower than the FCC allows.