Anna Van Hoek, governing board member at Higley Unified School District (HUSD)t, said she hasn’t seen community support for a Verizon Wireless’ proposed cellular phone tower on the grounds of Sossaman Middle School in Queen Creek.
“I have read many studies regarding the harms these towers can cause, and I want to ensure that our students, staff and community members are safe,” Van Hoek told SE Valley News. “I haven't seen any support from the community yet to have this tower.”
“Many community members are concerned and are upset that their input wasn't considered before this was brought to the board for approval,” she said.
Verizon Wireless’ request for an easement at the campus in Queen Creek was tabled at HUSD’s April 3 board meeting, reported the Gilbert Sun News, which reported that the district would “receive $24,000 a year for allowing the tower.”
Valeri Marsh, director of Arizonans for Safe Technology, made a presentation at the April 3 HUSD board meeting in opposition to the proposed tower.
“There have been thousands of studies published in the medical literature on microwave radiation, which has been shown to cause biological harm as well as reducing property values,” Marsh told SE Valley News. “Children are even more susceptible to harm because their skulls are thinner and their bodies contain more water which acts like an antenna.”
Marsh also pointed to a 2021 court ruling in which Children’s Health Defense and the Environmental Health Trust won a lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) challenging the FCC’s decision not to review its 1996 health and safety guidelines regarding wireless-based technologies.
A 2018 report released by the Federal Government National Toxicology Program (NTP) at the National Institutes for Health found evidence that radio frequency radiation (RFR), like that emitted from 2g and 3g cell phones, caused heart, brain, and adrenal gland tumors in lab rats.
“A wide range of evidence indicates that there are numerous non-thermal effects from wireless radiation on reproduction, development, and chronic illness,” wrote researchers in a March 2023 paper published in Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care. “Current knowledge of electrohypersensitivity indicates the importance of reducing wireless exposures especially in schools and health care settings.”
Van Hoek said a possible town hall meeting is in the works at which community members could share their concerns with and ask questions of experts and local policymakers.
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