A parent describes advocacy to remove a school tower following reported staff cancers and alleged permitt…
ORIGINAL COMMENT · UNEDITED TEXT
My name is Heather Gallagher, and I am writing to you as a parent demanding immediate, modernized safety standards for wireless radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) in school environments. Parents should not have to fight relentless, exhausting battles with school board districts and multi-billion-dollar telecommunications corporations simply to ensure that our children are safe from non-ionizing radiation exposure while attending public school.
My teenager attended Casa Grande High School in Petaluma, California, where a massive industrial cell tower was operating directly on the school's athletic fields. Alarmingly, we discovered a heartbreaking cluster of young Physical Education teachers and athletic coaches from that school diagnosed with rare cancers. Distracted and deeply concerned, I hired a professional Building Biologist to conduct independent testing on the school ground. The measured radiation levels were shockingly high. Recognizing the severe risk to students and faculty, I worked tirelessly to educate our local school board on the biological science surrounding RF radiation. After reviewing the evidence, the school board voted to remove the tower. During this process, we uncovered an even more egregious outrage: T-Mobile had installed the tower illegally, having failed to secure the proper local permits. It took lengthy and arduous legal negotiations between the district and T-Mobile to undo this violation. Finally, after immense public pressure and community advocacy, the tower is scheduled to be taken down this November 2026. Following this ordeal, our school district passed a moratorium on new cell towers on school grounds. It is utterly ridiculous that a parent must act as a full-time advocate, investigator, and legal watchdog just to keep children safe at school—and unacceptable that telecommunications giants like T-Mobile can bypass municipal laws to erect unauthorized towers on campuses where children spend five days a week. The FCC’s current exposure guidelines are decades out of date, relying on obsolete thermal models that ignore an overwhelming and growing body of peer-reviewed scientific literature demonstrating non-thermal biological harm—particularly to developing children. Scientific Evidence on RF/EMF Exposure & Children's Health In September 2026, the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF)—including renowned experts such as Dr. David Carpenter (University at Albany), Dr. Ronald Melnick (former NTP toxicologist and lead designer of the NIH cell phone study), and Dr. Joel Moskowitz (UC Berkeley)—issued a clear warning: “The current body of research provides sufficient evidence to warrant the adoption of policies that mitigate risk by reducing exposure. Research has reported biological effects from exposure to non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMFs) at levels well below current FCC, ICNIRP, and IEEE exposure limits. Studies have reported numerous adverse effects, including cancer, oxidative stress, genetic impacts, blood-brain barrier permeability, sperm damage, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, impairments in cognition, learning and memory, sleep impacts, EEG alterations, and other neurological effects.” Fetal & Early Gene Expression Disruptions: A 2025 Yale Medical School study (Cakir et al.) reported disrupted neurodevelopment and increased expression of autism-related genes in fetal-brain laboratory models exposed to BT/RF radiation at levels ~4,000 times below FCC exposure limits. Disproportionate RF Absorption in Children: Children absorb far more RF radiation than adults due to thinner skulls and unique tissue composition. Scientific modeling demonstrates absorption rates in children that are 2-fold greater in the cerebellum, 2–5-fold higher in the eyes, and up to 30-fold higher in the hippocampus. Lee & Choi (2023) modeled daily brain energy absorption from continuous cell tower exposure exceeding direct cell phone exposure by more than tenfold in young children. Studies consistently link prenatal/postnatal wireless exposure to developmental delays, lower cognitive scores, memory performance deficits, and behavioral issues in children. The FCC can no longer ignore this expanding body of peer-reviewed research. Protecting the health, safety, and developing brains of our children must take precedence over corporate convenience. I urge the FCC to: Update and lower RF radiation exposure limits to reflect current non-thermal biological research. Establish strict federal buffer zones banning industrial cell towers on or directly adjacent to K-12 school property. Enforce stringent legal penalties against telecom companies that erect unauthorized or improperly permitted infrastructure near sensitive populations.