By Brian Zanzonico
Discussing the company's plan to install six wireless communication antennas inside a 65-foot-tall light pole and ground-level equipment cabinets in the shopping center's rear parking lot, spokesman Joe Walsh said there is no evidence to suggest that exposure to radio frequency waves- the waves emitted by cell towers - causes illness.
He pointed to several independent research organizations, including the World Health Organization, that have concluded there is no link between radio frequency waves and illness. The WHO Web site states that evidence shows no health consequences from exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields, but that "gaps in knowledge about biological effects exist and need further research."
Walsh said that millions of people have been exposed to radio frequency waves without health consequences in the decades since the popularization of the TV. But Assemblyman Michael Gianaris, the author of a bill circulating in the state Assembly that calls on municipalities to regulate cell tower siting, said radio frequency waves produced by a TV cease once the unit is shut off. Once a cell tower is activated it stays on, continuing to generate radio frequency waves.
"If I was in a room with 20 TVs on and sat in the middle for 24 hours, 7 days a week, what would happen then?" he said.
Gianaris (D-Astoria) is the sponsor of the Wireless Facility Siting Act, which calls on cities and towns to establish a moratorium on new cell communications facilities for 120 days so municipalities can regulate the siting of these facilities. In addition, the bill calls on the state Department of Health to study the health effects of cell signals and emissions and report its findings within 180 days.
"The federal government will tell you there's no risk, the industry will tell you there's no risk," Gianaris said. "Scientists and experts will tell you there's no indication of risk now, but that studies are far from thorough."
That has been the concern of residents who live near the rear parking lot of the Franklin Bridge Centre: the tower's unknown effects down the road. More than 40 were at Hempstead Town Hall June 21 to oppose the application for the facility. Resident Bruno Caracciolo, acting as the residents' spokesman, asked Hempstead Zoning Board Chairman Gerald Wright for a postponement so neighbors could have time to hire an attorney to represent them. Caracciolo also requested that board members schedule the hearing for the evening so people who work during the day can attend. Wright said that because of the crowded calendar, the next possible date would be Sept. 28 at noon. That would require board members to come to Town Hall on a Thursday; meetings are typically on Wednesdays.
But if residents think the zoning board will deny Omnipoint and the shopping center property owner, Pol Finelli of Garden City, based on health fears, Gianaris said, they will be disappointed. He said that federal legislation precludes municipalities from rejecting proposals based on questions of health.
The cell tower proposal is a response to customer complaints about poor reception in the area, especially inside buildings, Omnipoint spokesman Walsh said.
"But [Omnipoint is] just one company," Gianaris said. "What happens if other companies want to improve reception? You have Verizon on one side, Cingular on the other. What if all these were working together, 24/7?"
One of the complaints from residents was that some received notices from Omnipoint while others didn't. Walsh said the company complied with the law, notifying homeowners based on a list provided by the Town of Hempstead.
He also said that this application has nothing to do with the company's failed attempt to enter into a contract with the West Hempstead Water District last year, when residents on the Franklin Square-Garden City South border teamed up to defeat Omnipoint's proposal to install antennas on the West Hempstead Water District tower at 7th Street and Roxbury Road. Citing health concerns and opposed to the tower, which replaced an old, decaying model in 2004, becoming an "eyesore," a group of neighbors started a petition-writing campaign and lobbied local officials to join the effort. As a result, the water district's Board of Commissioners resolved to deny Omnipoint and all communications businesses licenses to install antennas on the site.
Omnipoint's application, which is on file at Town Hall, includes a health and safety report about radio frequency waves, Walsh said. Omnipoint will have a representative on hand at the Sept. 28 public hearing to answer residents' questions about the project, he said. "We want to be good corporate citizens, and answer questions and make information available," Walsh said.
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