With posterboard signs, a sound system and balloons alerting ersby to their presence, a demonstration at La Jolla’s Cliffridge Park on April 11 drew a crowd of more than 80 parents, children and other community to voice their opposition to a proposal to put cell towers in the park.
Event organizer Kerri DeNies, a parent at nearby Torrey Pines Elementary School, led a brief presentation on what she and others perceive as negative impacts of cell towers close to schools, clubs, fields and densely populated locations.
The park, at 8311 Cliffridge Ave., neighbors the Dan McKinney Family YMCA and Torrey Pines Church, in addition to Torrey Pines Elementary.
Dish Network has proposed to encase wireless communications antennas in two 30-foot foul poles on the park’s lower baseball field as part of a 5G wireless network that Dish is trying to establish to achieve what it calls “more affordable wireless services and fast connectivity for businesses, students and households.”
The foul poles, which currently stand 21 feet, were once used by T-Mobile but have since been decommissioned.
Community concerns are largely grounded in the oft-debated health impacts, especially on children, of electromagnetic radiation from cell facilities.
As DeNies addressed the crowd, children held signs reading “Kids play here! Keep the cell towers away,” “Save our kids” and “Radiation isn’t cool. Help us save our school.”
Opposition to Cliffridge Park cell towers proposal continues to grow
Patti Garay, chairwoman of the Save the La Jolla Bike Path Coalition, aided in the presentation. The coalition successfully fought a proposal by AT&T to install a 30-foot cell tower and other antennas along the bike path. AT&T withdrew the plan in February.
“The kids were really excited, which is the most important part because that’s why we’re here,” DeNies told the La Jolla Light. “I want to protect everybody — I want to protect the teachers, the staff, but especially the children who are still growing.”
DeNies formed what she describes as a task force in February to publicize the community’s concerns about the cell towers and distribute a virtual petition that DeNies said has gathered 300 signatures.
To further get the word out, DeNies has held three meetings at the YMCA — two the morning of March 24 and another the evening of March 27. Each gathering drew about 10 people, DeNies said.
Josh and Tala Jackson, parents of a third-grader at Torrey Pines Elementary, attended the April 11 demonstration to DeNies and learn more about the cell towers’ possible impacts on children in the area.
“I think honestly they can probably find a better place for it,” Josh said. “And if it’s at a cost to the company, I don’t care. They have a lot of money. Move it. It’s worth it to move it to make sure the kids are safe.”
“Our kids go to school here, and clearly anything that affects our health in any way I feel like is very important to me,” Tala said.
Abheek Gupta, father of first- and fourth-graders at Torrey Pines, said he “wanted to learn more about what it meant for our kids, especially because they’re always here at school, playing baseball, at the YMCA. If there’s any ill effects from a health perspective, I wanted to be informed and express my opposition to that.”
“I know we all want great cell service, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of our kids’ health,” he added.
The Cliffridge project remains in the review process with the San Diego Development Services Department. A city representative said the application is not considered complete and the city is awaiting resubmittal.
If the proposal proceeds, it must go to a hearing by the San Diego Planning Commission. No hearing date has been set.
In case the project moves forward, community organizers have launched a fundraiser “to hire legal counsel specializing in telecom law.” Their target is $10,000, DeNies said.
5G electromagnetic waves have a higher frequency than previous generations of wireless, which allows them to carry more information at greater speed.
Electromagnetic fields, or EMFs, consist of non-ionizing, low-level radiation — such as from phones, computers, power lines and microwaves — and ionizing EMFs, which have much higher-level radiation, such as from sunlight and X-rays.
The highest 5G frequency ranges from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz, where data transfer speed is greatest.
Research published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology said it found “no confirmed evidence that low-level RF fields above 6GHz such as those used by the 5G network are hazardous to human health.”
On the other hand, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences noted that “concerns persist about possible connections between EMF and adverse health effects.”
Some scientific studies have pointed to possible risks associated with non-ionizing radiation, including cellular stress, genetic damage, reproductive changes, neurological disorders and cancer.
The institute said additional research is needed, though it recommended “continued education on practical ways to reduce exposures to EMFs.” ♦
