Residents urged the City Council to prevent 5G small cells from entering Aspen, focusing mainly on health effects, reported the Aspen Daily News. Tom Lankering, a local chiropractor, noted “that there are no safety studies” when it comes to 5G.
Aspen city staff has been preparing for the onslaught of 5G, with estimates of 100 small cells or more needed to create a reliable network.
But per legislation, they can’t regulate small cell wireless facilities based on health reasons. “I’m sure this has been relayed to you by all of us that we feel our hands are tied by the FCC and other regulations,” Councilman Ward Hauenstein said in response to the public comment.
Lankering went on to say that other communities are finding ways to ban or delay 5G. “Part of this is about being able to reclaim our right to protect our own health,” he said.
Lankering pushed for a safety study on 5G before any infrastructure is approved or installed, per the Daily News. “Electromagnetic radiation is devastating, it’s destructive and destroys brains,” Lankering said, invoking fears of dementia, Alzheimers and cancers, as well as social health effects and depression.
Business owner Andrew Sandler told the council that he could feel the effects of 4G towers when he travels to areas in Denver that have a dense 4G network. “Picture walking through a haze of smoke and pretend that is the WiFi frequency that is coming at you,” Sandler said. “Everyone in the room is sitting in a haze of junk, and it’s killing us.”
According to City Attorney Jim True, the city is working on crafting regulations to stay compliant with state and federal codes regarding 5G. He also noted that the health and aesthetic preferences of local citizens would be incorporated.
October 30, 2019
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