At a recent city council meeting, Carmel, IN residents opposed the rollout of small cells, echoing concerns from the Carmel Cable and Telecommunication Commission. The main concern raised was over health effects of 5G technology, reported the Current. However, the council did not take action on the matter.
Winston Long, chairman of the Carmel Cable and Telecommunication Commission, presented the findings of a task force he assembled to study the issue.
Long cited a 2018 National Toxicology Program study that found “clear evidence” of tumors in the hearts of male rats exposed to high levels of radiofrequency radiation used in 2G and 3G phones. Long’s concern is that 5G will be more dangerous. He also encouraged the city to join a class-action lawsuit against the FCC. Inside Towers research showed the study was conducted in 1999, and was subject to a Peer Group review in 2018. The study focused on cell phone radiation which, upon review, three of the eleven “peers” rejected the study as “equivocal evidence of carcinogenic activity of male mice based on combined incidences of fibrosarcoma, sarcoma, or malignant fibrous histiocytoma in the skin.”
Residents, however, reinforced Long’s concerns and were also bothered that homeowners do not have to be notified when a small cell tower is being installed near their home, per the Current.
“Carmel residents are left with little ability to understand what these structures are or what they do,” said resident and attorney Carl Butler. “They have no effective administrative process by which to submit inquiries, file complaints, or otherwise seek recourse.”
October 30, 2019
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