The study showed that RF measurements of the Verizon cell site passed with flying colors. The resident championing removal of the structure because it is causing her family to suffer many illnesses lives near Point 15.
Update: July 9, 2021 – The Pittsfield, MA Board of Health held a hearing on Wednesday evening and discussed the Verizon monopole that residents said is causing health problems in the nearby neighborhood. After hours of discussion, the city said that their study identified that the tower is safe, but further investigation will be required.
Gina Armstrong, the city’s health director, suggested that despite the low RF readings, the issue of the tower’s possible impact on health in the neighborhood cannot be dismissed.
Tonight, the Pittsfield, MA Board of Health is set to discuss findings of an RF emissions study it commissioned in the neighborhood surrounding a Verizon 115-foot monopole after a resident of the area questioned its safety and conveyed accounts of severe illnesses.
The 155-foot monopole is well within FCC standards
An Alma St. resident has been driving the effort after she said that she received “rolling headaches, nausea, dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, palpitations, and other health problems after the tower at 877 South St. began transmitting last August.
Courtney Gilardi said that her 12-year-old daughter is also experiencing nausea, and if the structure is not turned off, she said she and her family will move from their home which is located about 3/5 of a mile away from the monopole.
It’s not likely that the site will be modified since the report that the health board has received shows that the field testing identified that Verizon is well below the FCC’s standard.
On June 10, New Jersey-based V-COMM Telecommunications Engineering was hired by the city to test the surrounding area at a cost of $3,725 to see if the site is in compliance.
The 9-page study using a Narda EA5091 E-field probe found that after testing 17 points, the field measurements identified that the maximum level of RF emissions was at 1.66% with the lowest being 0.01%.
The measurement taken near Gilardi’s home was 0.08%.
The report said that field measurements utilized spatial averaging, where a series of points is used either in a straight line or over a two-dimension area that is representative of the human form, as required by FCC regulations.
The report is available here.