The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Public Safety Committee has passed along to the full Board a resolution calling on the EPA, the FCC, and Congress to study the health impacts of wireless facilities, update existing standards, and establish a safe level of exposure to radiofrequency radiation emissions from cell towers and antennas. Introduced by Supervisor David Campos, the resolution was cosponsored by Supervisors John Avalos and Carmen Chu.
It further urges the California Congressional Delegation to introduce legislation repealing limitations on state and local authority imposed by the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The resolution will go before the full Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, March 23. If approved, San Francisco will join a list of municipalities including Glendale and Los Angeles County who have sent similar resolutions to the FCC and Congress (longer list available at www.cloutnow.org).
The text before the Public Safety Committee cited an April 2009 resolution approved by the full Parliament of the European Union, in a vote of 559 to 22, calling for consideration of biological effects when assessing potential health impacts of electromagnetic radiation, coordinated regional oversight on placement of masts and antennas, and monitoring potential fraud or conflicts of interest in research studies on this subject.