Why Cell Phone Towers Are So Bad For Your Health?
Review
Cell phones heat the brain while users make and
receive calls. Cell phones scramble the brain and play
havoc with the nervous system. It could cause high
blood pressure, which leads to strokes. If cell phones
are used for longer periods of time, they can damage
long-term memory and even cause brain tumor [1-2].
On the other hand, cell towers are considered more
harmful to people particularly those living within the
radius of 500 metres as they continuously emit
electromagnetic radiation (EMR) 24-hours a day, 7-
days a week, and 365-days an year [3-5]. Towers emit
radiofrequencies (RF), a form of EMR, for a distance
as large as two miles and essentially the
same frequency radiation as microwaves and
microwave ovens. Low levels of radiation emitted by
mobile phone towers are harmful. Scientists at the
School of Public Health of Harvard University say that
the radiation from cell phone towers is a serious health
hazard [6]. Studies have shown that low levels of
radiation can cause brain tumor, cancer, depression,
miscarriage, insomnia and Alzheimer’s disease, apart
from damaging cell tissues and the DNA. People will
have disturbed sleep and headache. Immune system
could be affected [7-13]. The nearby apartments could
become very hot. Television displays could show
flickering images. Massive increase in radiation in the
envionment due to these towers has also been linked to
increase in the incidence of diseases such as asthma,
learning disabilities, anxiety disorders, attention deficit
disorder, autism, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy,
fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, cataracts,
hypothyroidism, diabetes, malignant melanoma,
testicular cancer, heart attacks and strokes. According
to Dr. Howard Fischer, a Toronto-based researcher and
clinician, "though the radiation one is exposed to
during a mobile phone call is 10 times higher than
exposure from a cell tower, just standing in a wi-fi
enabled area is equal to talking on your mobile for 20
minutes [14].
Collage depicting potential health risks associated with
prolonged exposure to RFR from cell phone towers.
Dr. M. Sirish http://drsirish.blogspot.com
-Dr. M. Sirish
Multitude of antennae
atop the tower emits
pulsing microwaves.
Several studies as well as the newspaper reports in the
recent past shows the desperation of people who wants
to escape this health hazard. Low-level microwaves
have a cumulative effect on cancer promotion as well.
To study the effects of cell tower antenna blood tests
were done to check neutrophil level of public near cell
tower antenna. It was found that neutrophil level
dropped to 3 or below, while the average level of
general population neutrophil level is 5 to 9. If a person
moved bedrooms to an area in their home away from
the mast the neutrophils are seen increasing and when
those people spend time away from the area, it was
seen returning to the average general population level.
Also a German study conducted on people living closer
to cell tower transmitters revealed that people living
within 400 metres radius from the tower were exposed
to radiation levels 100 times greater than those living in
far off places. Based on such studies scientists have
recommended that the cell tower antenna should be at
least 500 metres away from the inhabited properties.
People who are living near 400-500 metres to mobile
towers should get their houses tested for radiation and
take appropriate precautions. A study conducted in
Poland between 1970 and 1990 among soldiers
exposed to microwave radiation largely through using
military equipment has shown that the mobile users are
more likely to develop a whole range of cancers 10
years earlier than those who had not been exposed [15].
Their exposure to microwave radiation is the same as
that emitted by the mobile phones. The majority of
those involved in the study had been exposed to
between 1 Watt/m² and 6 Watts/m² of microwave
radiation. The European limit for mobile phone
radiation is at present set at 4.5 Watts/m². Majority of
mobiles give off between 2 Watts/m² and 4 Watts/m².
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Dr. M. Sirish Why Cell Phone Towers Are So Bad For Your Health?

If cell phone service providers set up their towers on

the terrace of a nearby building the high level of Towers atop
radiation transmitted by the towers has become a health residential
hazard. Any single cell phone tower may carry a buildings,
multitude of antennae, each of which emits its own schools, or
pattern of microwaves on its own set of wavelengths, hospitals are
with the result being that a single tower can emit particularly
several different patterns of relatively intense signals to more harmful
homes, schools and businesses within hundreds of feet to people.
of the tower. A study conducted in France among
people living within 300 metres of cell phone towers
found an increased incidence of tiredness within 300
metres, of headache, sleep disturbance, and discomfort
within 200 metres, and of irritability, depression, loss
of memory, dizziness, libido decrease, etc. within 100
metres. Telecom giant Orange has suspended
operations at a school cell tower site in Paris after eight
cases of cancer were confirmed among children in the
district [16]. A French local council prohibited the
erection of cell towers within a 300-metre radius. The
Paris Town Hall and the mobile phone operators have
an agreement to limit public exposure to the
electromagnetic waves generated by cell tower researchers measured the visual field of persons in
antennae and the operators have committed to lowering conversations on cell phone and found that cell phone
the exposure levels significantly. More recently, a use artificially constricted the peripheral awareness.
documentary film called "Full Signal" depicts the map This suggests that cell phone use while driving can
in Israel indicating a correlation between the locations decrease the perceptual visual field, making the driver
of brain tumor clusters and cell phone towers across the less aware of the surroundings and more susceptible to
country [17]. This along with other studies have accident [19].
shown that the incidence of adult brain tumors is
happening within 400 meters of cell phone towers.

Electromagnetic interference from cell phone use in

hospitals can result in sudden switching off or
restarting of feeding tubes, pacemakers, ventilators, or
dialysis machines.

A Dutch study on mobile phone signals found that cell

phone use in hospitals can be dangerous. Researchers
measured the impact of electromagnetic interference
from cell phone use in hospital equipment such as
ventilators and pacemakers. Signals from mobile
phones significantly interfered with medical devices,
and 75% of those incidents were found to be
hazardous. These included the sudden switching off or
restarting of machines which could mean disruption of
a patient's feeding tube, ventilator, pacemaker or
dialysis machine and majority of these occurred when
mobile phones were within 3 cm of critical-care
equipment [18]. In another study conducted in USA,
Long-term effects of microwave radiation from mobile
towers are not fully studied. Mobile Operators does not
have scientists, nor they conduct a site survey, but erect
a tower on an available site by a computer guesstimate.
Pulsing of the signal, and not its energy level that
enables a deep penetration of the body. Only
thermal effects are considered in a multi-national case-
control study INTERPHONE [20] and are used for
regulation while several studies indeed show biological
effects of electromagnetic radiation at exposure levels
far below where heating occurs (non-thermal effects)

Dr. M. Sirish http://drsirish.blogspot.com 2

Dr. M. Sirish Why Cell Phone Towers Are So Bad For Your Health?
[21]. The human body reacts more complexly than
acknowledged in the thermal model and is sensitive to
extreme periodic stimuli. The biological system takes
the "energy" as well as the "information" which is
brought by the continuous pulsed modulation pattern.
A cell tower antenna is emitting a pulsed signal, and it
interferes with the natural pulsing of our body, via the
pineal gland in the head.
If the pulsing enters your
bedroom, it will interfere
with your sleep patterns.
Regular disruption of
sleep patterns will break
down the melatonin
process, the repairing of
which takes place when
the body enters a deep
sleep. This will lead to a
lowered functioning of
the human immune
system. Other reported
examples of non-
Nervous system is most thermal biological
vulnerable to RF exposure. effects include: changes
in the electrical activity
in the human brain, increase in DNA single and double
strand breaks from RF exposure to 2.45 GHz, and
increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier in
rats.
Pregnant women and children are in greater danger
from cell phone towers than the normal population.
The developing organs of the fetus or child are the
most sensitive to any
possible effects of
EMR exposure. The
thinner skulls of kids
and rapid growth
rates make children
more susceptible to
the tower's waves
[22]. A recent study
of pregnant women
with heavy cell phone
use found behavior
problems in their
children. According
to Dr. Om Gandhi, an
Developing organs of the eminent scientist in
fetus or child are most
the area of
sensitive to RF exposure. bioelectromagnetics,
cell phone radiation
makes children more susceptible to DNA breakage,
genetic damage, and cancer. It reduces their life span.
It is very unfortunate to see huge cell towers thronging
Dr. M. Sirish http://drsirish.blogspot.com
the rooftops in and around the schools and educational
institutions and this has become more or less a
common sight in cities across India and elsewhere.
This is because the managements at schools and
educational institutions see a definite upside of income
from cell towers and lease their property to cell tower
companies ignoring the health risks that these towers
pose on their students who in turn are prone to
prolonged exposure to electromagnetic radiation. The
parents associations should be very watchful and play
more active role in reigning on the school boards and
prevent siting of cell phone towers within or around the
schools premises.
A cartoon depicting how cell phone radiation is harmful
to developing embryo/fetus in a pregnant woman.
Similar is the case with the homebuilders and the
mushrooming of cell phone towers atop the residential
apartment buildings. A new dimension however in this
case is that most of the apartment builders claim
the perpetual ownership of the terrace rights and
thereby the absolute ownership of the buildings
premises and lease the terrace to the cell phone
companies for a period of not less than ten years or
more even before the building is handed over to the
owners association thus leaving the individual flat
owners and residents completely in the dark about the
siting of cell towers on their rooftop. This is in clear
violation of Apartment Laws. Generally, terraces
cannot be privately owned as they are deemed to form
part of the communal areas and, as such, are owned in
common by the apartment owners. You cannot,
therefore, legally exclude other co-owners from these
areas. In their efforts to get these towers removed, the
owners associations almost always end up fighting a
prolonged legal battle while the builder enjoys rentals
and all the perks from the cell phone companies. What
an irony? Cell phone companies work hand in glove
with the builders in their efforts to set up as many
towers as they can and their numbers look staggering
too. The city of Delhi tops this list. Out of 5,364 cell
towers in the city, only 2,412 had requisite permission
and the remaining 2,952 were illegal. Mumbai comes
second in this list. Out of 3,489 towers built within the
jurisdiction of BMC, only 1,500 are authorised. The
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Dr. M. Sirish Why Cell Phone Towers Are So Bad For Your Health?
situation in Hyderabad is much worse. Out of 2,800
towers identified in the GHMC area as on December
2008, 1154 cell phone towers are on building rooftops,
50 are ground based, and 1791 are on rooftop poles.
The irony is only 500 of them have requisite
documentation leaving nearly 2,000 towers virtually
unauthorised entities [23]. The local municipal
authorities should proactively remove such
unauthorised sitings and not buckle under the bullying
tactics of the big bosses of cell phone companies. The
governments should also tighten the laws and must not
allow such sitings in the residential areas without prior
approval of the local residents. This seems to be
happening!! The Government of India has recently
formulated a new policy on cell tower radiation, the
salient features of which are shown below.
opined that mobile phone towers should not be erected
near hospitals, schools and residential buildings
because of the possible risk to the people [24]. To
minimize the risk mobile towers should be at a height
of 40-50 metres, above the highest point of the
neighbouring buildings, as it is done abroad. Also, the
minimum distance between the towers and the nearby
buildings should be 100 metres. But the studies have
shown that the cell towers should be at least 500 metres
away from flats or buildings. If cell tower antenna is
installed on the rooftop of a building, the building is
virtually not salable in many countries. Estate agents
are mandated to tell a potential buyer about the
problem. If a cell tower antenna is within 200m to a
building, or a flat the value of the building or flat drops
by 50% [25]. Here is some of the internationally
allowed standard levels of cell tower radiation by the
countries across the world: Australian standard says the
radiation level should be less than 200 microwatts per
sq. cm. Russia, Italy and Canada allows only 10
microwatts per sq. cm. China allows only six
microwatts per sq. cm. and New Zealand allowing only
0.02 microwatts per sq. cm. But strangely cell phone
towers in the United States are most lenient and least
protective in the world and US government allows 580
to 1,000 microwatts per sq. cm. [26]. In light of the
Dr. M. Sirish http://drsirish.blogspot.com
serious health risks discussed
above, all cell phone towers should
be removed from residential areas
and placed where they don’t harm
people and are placed on proper
height.
“The Precautionary Principle or Principle
of Prevention needs to be followed
whenever there is a possibility of harm to
human health an exposure rises”.
Endnotes:
[1]. (a) Disconnect-The Truth About Cell Phone
Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and
How to Protect Your Family by Devra Davis.
Published by Dutton Adult (September 23, 2010). For
more on this visit the website Environmental Health
Trust. (b) Bryan Walch, Health: A Cancer Muckraker
Takes on Cell Phones,
http://ecocentric.blogs.time.com/2010/09/27/health-a-
cancer-muckraker-takes-on-cell-phones/ September27,
2010. (c) Martin Mittelstaedt, The disturbing truth
about cellphones, The Globe and Mail, September 24,
2010.
[2]. (a) Khurance VG, Teo C, Kindi M, Hardell L,
Carlberg M. (2009) Cell phones and brain tumors: a
review including the long-term epidemiologic data.
Surg Neurol;72:205-14. (b) Sarah J Hepworth, Minouk
J Schoemaker, Kenneth R Muir, Anthony J Swerdlow,
Martie J A van Tongeren, Patricia A McKinney:
Mobile phone use and risk of glioma in adults: case-
control study. BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.38720.687975.55
(published 20 January 2006). (c) Sadetzki S, Flint-
Richter P, Ben-Tal T, Nass D: Radiation-Induced
meningiona: a descriptive study of 253 cases. J.
Neurosurg 97: 1078-1082, 2002.
[3]. “The Impacts of Radiofrequency Radiation from
Mobile Phone Antennas", EMR Australia PL , 2008.
[4]. Santini, R., Santini, P., Danze, J.M., Le Ruz, P.,
Seigne, M. (2002). Study of the health of people living
in the vicinity of mobile phone base stations: I.
Influences of distance and sex. Pathol. Biol. 50:369-
373
[5]. Santini, R., Santini, P., Danze, J.M., Le Ruz, P.,
Seigne, M. (2003). Symptoms experienced by people in
vicinity of base stations: II. Incidences of age, duration
of exposure, location of subjects in relation to the
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Dr. M. Sirish Why Cell Phone Towers Are So Bad For Your Health?
antennas and other electromagnetic factors. Pathol.
Biol. 51:412-415.
[6]. A news article from the Boston Globe alerts that
even Harvard University has become pro-active in
opposing cell tower siting. This article appeared on
page B03 of 16th June, 1997 issue.
[7]. (a) Microwave and Radio Frequency Radiation
Exposure, San Francisco Medicine , Vol. 74, No 3,
March 2001. (b) Navarro, E.A., Segura, J., Portolés,
M., Gómez-Perretta de Mateo, C. (2003). The
Microwave Syndrome: A Preliminary Study in
Spain. Electromagn. Biol. Med. 22:161-169.
[8]. Bortkiewicz, A., Zmyslony, M., Szyjkowska, A.,
Gadzicka, E. (2004). Subjective symptoms reported by
people living in the vicinity of cellular phone base
stations. Med. Pr. 55:345-351.
[9]. Hutter, H.P., Moshammer, H., Wallner, P., Kundi,
M. (2006). Subjective symptoms, sleeping problems,
and cognitive performance in subjects living near
mobile phone base stations. Occup. Environ. Med.
63:307-313.
[10]. Abdel-Rassoul, G., Abou El-Fatech, O., Abou
Salem, M., Michael, A., Farahat, F., El-Batanouny, M.,
Salem, E. (2007). Neurobehavioral effects among
inhabitants around mobile phone base stations.
Neurotoxicology 28:434-440.
[11]. Wolf, R., Wolf, D. (2004). Increased incidence of
cancer near a cellphone transmitter station. Int. J.
Cancer Prev. 1:123-128.
[12]. Eger, H., Hagen, K.U., Lucas, B., Vogel, P., Voit,
H. (2004). Influence of the spatial proximity of mobile
phone base stations on cancer rates. Umwelt-Medizin-
Gesellschaft 17:273-356.
[13]. Meyer, M., Gärtig-Daugs, A., Radespiel-Tröger,
M. (2006). Cellular telephone relay stations and
cancer incidence. Umweltmed. Forsch. Prax. 11:89-97.
[14] Dr. Howard W. Fischer, "The Invisible Threat:
The Risks Associated With EMFs" (2007), Wood
Publishing.
[15]. Report in Sunday Mirror, March 26, 2000.
[16]. Sarah Benson (2007). Electromagnetic Radiation
( EMR ) And Potential Adverse Health Affects.
Dr. M. Sirish http://drsirish.blogspot.com
http://www.ecolibria.com.au/Resources/Electromagneti
c-Radiation-EMR-And-Potential-Adverse-Health-
Affects.
[17] Filmed in Ten countries and Six US states, the
documentary "Full Signal" focuses on interviews with
scientists around the world who are researching the
health effects related to cellular technology; with
veteran journalists who have called attention to the
issue for decades; with activists who are fighting to
regulate the placement of antennas; and with lawyers
and law makers who represent the people wanting
those antennas regulated and examines the
contradiction between health and finance, one of the
many ironies of the fight to regulate antenna
placement. http://www.fullsignalmovie.com/
[18] Bao P. Dang, Pierre R. Nel, John A. Gjevre
(2007). Mobile communication devices causing
interference in invasive and noninvasive ventilators,
Journal of Critical Care, Volume 22, Issue 2, Pages
137-141.
[19] W.C. Maples, Wes DeRosier, Richard Hoenes,
Rodney Bendure (2008). Sherl Moore, The effects of
cell phone use on peripheral vision, Optometry -
Journal of the American Optometric Association,
Volume 79, Issue 1, January 2008, Pages 36-42, ISSN
1529-1839.
[20]. A multinational case-control study,
INTERPHONE, was set-up to investigate whether
mobile phone use increases the risk of cancer and,
more specifically, whether the RF fields emitted by
mobile phones are carcinogenic. The study focused on
tumors arising in the tissues most exposed to RF fields
from mobile phones: glioma, meningioma, acoustic
neurinoma and parotid gland tumors. In addition to a
detailed history of mobile phone use, information was
collected on a number of known and potential risk
factors for these tumours. The study was conducted in
13 countries. Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland,
France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand,
Norway, Sweden, and the UK using a common core
protocol. For more on this study, please see "The
INTERPHONE Study Group (2010). Brain tumour risk
in relation to mobile telephone use: results of the
INTERPHONE international case–control study." Int.
J. Epidemiol., 1-20 and references therein.
http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/ije/press_r
eleases/freepdf/dyq079.pdf.
[21]. Haumann, T., Munzenberg, U., Maes, W., Sierck,
P. (2010). HF-Radiation levels of GSM cellular phone
towers in residential areas. http://no-
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Dr. M. Sirish Why Cell Phone Towers Are So Bad For Your Health?

celltower.com/German%20RF%20Research%20Articl
e.pdf and references therein.

[22]. (a) Mobiles Risk to children, Daily Mail (U.K.),

May 11, 2000. (b) Elliott, P., Toledano, M. B., Bennett,
J., Beale, L., Hoogh, K. D., Best, N., Briggs, D. J.
(2010). Mobile phone base stations and early
childhood cancers: case-control study. BMJ, 1-7.

[23] Data obtained from press releases by the

respective Municipal corporations or from local news
reports.

[24]. Bembalkar, M., Londhe, M. S. Health hazards

arising due to radio frequency radiation from mobile
towers/antenna.
www.karmayog.org/UNITE/upload/86/1/MOBILE%20
TOWER.doc

[25] (a) Read this New York Times news story, "A
Pushback Against Cell Towers," published in the
paper's Real Estate section, on August 27, 2010:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/realestate/29Lizo.
html?_r=1&ref=realestate. (b)"The effect of distance
to cell phone towers on house prices" by Sandy Bond,
Appraisal Journal, Fall 2007, see attached. Source,
Appraisal Journal, found on the Entrepreneur website,
http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/171
851340.html or
http://www.prres.net/papers/Bond_Squires_Using_GIS
_to_Measure.pdf. (c) Sandy Bond, Ph.D., Ko-Kang
Wang, “The Impact of Cell Phone Towers on House
Prices in Residential Neighborhoods,” The Appraisal
Journal, Summer 2005; see attached. Source: Goliath
business content website,
http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-
5011857/The-impact-of-cell-phone.html

[26] (a) Radiofrequency Radiation Health Studies,

Wireless Antenna Site Consumer Information Package,
Sage Associates, Montecito, CA, 2000, www.
sageassocciates.net. (b) Tower concerns should be
health, not aesthetics, Burlington Free Press, January
12, 2001.

Dr. M. Sirish http://drsirish.blogspot.com 6