Community Corner

Grassroots Group Concerned Over Cell/Wireless Emissions Hosts Educational Session at Lafayette Library

News release from  W.I.S.E. (Wireless Education & Safety Education):

On May 29 at 6:30 p.m., we will have an educational event at the Lafayette Library with Martin Blank, Phd. as our keynote speaker.
 
Senator DeSaulnier & John Fowler of KTVU will also speak and show his Emmy Award Winning Video....a study linking breast cancer to cell phones. 

You may recall the recent events which took place at St. Perpetua School and Church.

In December of last year, the members of the school (grades K-8) and church were presented with a proposal for a cell tower to be erected by AT&T.  As the church was already in contract with AT&T we had only six weeks before the city of Lafayette would render its final approvals for the project.
   
A group of concerned parents at St. Perpetua, including a couple Bay Area physicians, did some research on the potential hazards a cell tower might have on our children.
  
The research was eye-opening and impressive. There is very compelling data showing the adverse biologic effect of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by cell towers and wireless technology.
  
Research also demonstrates a strong association between EMR and human diseases as well as wildlife disruption (ie. disappearance honey bees and the deaths of many migratory birds.)
 
Furthermore, there are many cities and countries around the world who ban the use of cell phones among children (for health concerns) and who forbid wi-fi to be placed in schools (France).
  
There is ample data which reveal cancer clusters nearest to cell towers and other EMR transmitters.
  
The fact is, just as we saw with the tobacco industry, this is a multi-billion dollar industry with little incentive at the control panel to take a pause from the rapid proliferation of this wireless infrastructure.
  
Many scientists and MDs argue this has been an ongoing human experiment when you consider that biological studies were never done in the 90s when the FCC established EMR safety emission standards.
  
To add insult to injury, with the encouragement and aid of the industry, our federal government implemented the 1996 Telecommunications Act which stated that local governments would not be able to deny an application for wireless infrastructure (i.e. cell tower) based on health concerns. Wow!! 

As it seemed our objections of a cell tower on our children's school/community church was not going to derail the Diocese who stood to profit with erected towers on Catholic school/church grounds, we took it upon ourselves to organize an educational event which was held at the Veteran's Memorial Building in Lafayette on Jan. 16th earlier this year.

We were convinced that if more of the parishioners, school families and community members were educated on wireless infrastructure emitting EMR (electromagnet radiation), a greater understanding of the potential health risks to our children and community resulting from chronic exposure to EMR might convince our Diocese to embrace a precautionary position and deny AT&T's proposal for a cell tower on our campus.

As AT&T's application currently sits in the hands of the Lafayette City Council, our quest to educate our community on the topic continues. 




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