Risks When Living Next to A Cell Phone Tower

by editorial team

Everyone wants a fantastic cell-phone service, but the increase in cell towers and the radio waves used to transmit signals may be of concern to you.

Parents have cause for concern as signals from cell phone towers are potentially harmful to themselves or their families. Cell phone towers transmit radio frequency waves similar to other devices prevalent in our daily lives:

• Telecommunications such as radios, TV’s, cell phones, pagers, emergency vehicle radios

• Microwave ovens

• Radar

• Pacemaker monitoring

If you are concerned about low-frequency radio waves, then you may be wondering about cell phone towers.

How Do Cell Phone Towers Work?

Cell phone towers are base stations of service and transmit radio frequency (RF) signals or radio waves. These radio waves communicate with cell phones and other devices. In short, a device will send or receive a signal from the tower and that signal will be relayed to its final destination. 

Learn more about electro-magnetic frequencies here: Guide to EMFs 

How Can a Cell Phone Tower Affect Your Health?

Cell phones communicate with cell phone towers through an RF wave which consists of non-ionizing radiation. Non-ionizing radiation is not known to damage DNA like stronger ionizing radiation such as X-rays, Gamma rays, and UV light. However, long term exposure to these non-ionizing radiation is not thoroughly studied and many suggest that it's better to play it safe and take caution where you can.

According to the American Cancer Society, exposure to cell phone towers poses little health risks to the public for the following reasons:

• Relatively low power levels

• Antennae are high above ground level

• Signal transmission is intermittent

Even at base station ground level, the amount of radio frequency energy may be significantly less than the Federal Communication Commission’s (FCC) limits for safe exposure.

If you are concerned about the impact of electromagnetic frequencies, you can learn more about what they are and how they impact our health in our Guide to EMFs.

For help on establishing a healthy relationship with technology, check out our Technology Detox Guide.