Look at the top of the apartment building. Do you noticed the array of antennae installed on the highest point of the multistory residential building? I believe this is called an RF Base Station. Google "RF Base Station apartment building" and click on images. You will discover that these installations are common worldwide.
Many people question the wisdom of putting these towers on residential buildings. They are concerned with people living in such close proximity to a transmitter/receiver of RF (radio-frequency) signals.
Yet, others are ecstatic about such an installation. They claim they live in iPhone heaven. Maybe, maybe not. Others say great reception is not a give; they say it depends upon how the antennae were aimed during installation.
I don't believe these towers are not sitting there gratis. The owner of the building most likely collects a fee for allowing the cell phone company to locate its towers on the apartment roof.
When I researched the question of whether or not these towers are safe, I found lots of scare stories. That said, the Amercian Cancer Society doesn't seem to be too concerned. If you want to worry about RF signals, worry about the cell phone held to your ear and forget about the base station on the roof.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies RF fields as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” This is based on limited evidence of a possible increase in risk for brain tumors among cell phone users.
The IARC also noted that RF field exposure from cell phone base stations (mounted on roofs or towers) is usually less than 1/100th the exposure to the brain from a cell phones. Should you be worried? For perspective, IARC also classifies coffee as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
As a flip phone user and only sporadically at that, I am not in the least bit concerned. Now, I'm off for my morning coffee. ;-)
1 comment:
I might be a bit wary.
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