On May 15, a national day of protests took place against telecoms deploying small cells in residential areas, “until technology can be proven safe.” One protest involved supporters of a group called Citizens for 5G Awareness, who picketed outside a Verizon store in East Northport, reported the Long Island Press. The group cited similar protests occurring in California, Hawaii and Maryland.
According to Debbie Persampire, who formed the group two years ago after a small cell was erected near her home, “I worry every single day. Every time I put my children to sleep in their beds and kiss them goodnight, I worry. I wonder what’s going to happen to them after this long term exposure.”
The Citizens for 5G Awareness group cited a U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP) report in which scientists concluded there is, “clear evidence” linking cell phone radiation to the development of cancers in rats, reported the Press.
“This was a 10-year, $30 million study done by our government,” said Persampire. “We do have some very good science showing that this is not safe and that we need to take the precautionary principle with our children.”
Although the FCC has adopted limits for RF emissions, the protesters believe 5G and its infrastructure is unnecessary. “[The companies] make it sound like you can’t have your cell phones without it,” said Anne Mayer, a group organizer and former safety certification engineer on industrial and commercial equipment. “Yeah, you won’t be able to download a Netflix movie in two seconds. We don’t need to put our whole planet, privacies, and protections at risk so that we can download movies from Netflix in two seconds.”
May 20, 2019
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