PRESS RELEASE: HALLANDALE BEACH, FL PASSES 5G SMALL CELL TOWER RESOLUTION
April 3rd, 2019
Contact:
Carolina Lavayen
Founder – Stop 5G Florida
On April 3, 2019, the commissioners unanimously passed a resolution of the mayor and city commission of the city of Hallandale Beach, Florida urging the state legislature and federal government to initiate a study of the health effects of small cell towers built to accommodate 5G technology and to develop installation guidelines protecting the health and welfare of residents.
This is the first resolution passed in the state of Florida addressing 5G, the fifth generation of cellular technology requiring millions of new cell towers be installed nationwide – in addition to existing cell towers. New 5G small cell antennas (aka towers) are to be placed on streetlights, utility poles and sides of buildings and rooftops.
The resolution passed as a result of local resident, Carolina Lavayen, working with Commissioner Michele Lazarow once she noticed new cell towers were being installed in residential areas as well as city streets without public consent or notice to residents.
Lavayen requested a list of all existing 5G cell towers in Hallandale Beach as well as ones scheduled to be installed including locations and dates of activation. The city was unable to fulfill her request, and she learned that radiation levels from existing cell towers have never been tested for safety. She was informed that telecom companies and their contractors were required to obtain building permits from the city, but if they were not provided within 60 days, the FCC allows telecommunications companies to move forward with construction. She discovered there were zero local regulations in place as far as cell tower distance from homes and concentration of towers in any given area.
This prompted Lavayen to connect with other South Florida locals aware of the 5G controversy. Uniting with local long-time activist, Steve Grant, they formed Stop 5G Florida, and recruited other activists to join their alliance. Stop 5G Florida is a grass roots organization dedicated to educating the public on microwave radiation hazards and inspiring local action in challenging the full deployment of 5G in the state of Florida and throughout the world.
“We do not consent to new wireless technology that has not been proven to be biologically safe, and that uses millimeter wave frequencies the same as military grade weapons used by the U.S. Department of Defense in crowd control weapons called Active Denial Systems. 5G, along with smart meters, threaten our basic human rights with technology that further removes our privacy through antennas that track our every move and make us vulnerable to biological attacks at any time. Existing radiation levels have already been proven to be dangerous in thousands of peer reviewed papers. Adding 5G is great cause for concern, and we will do everything we can to protect our families including children – who are especially vulnerable to wireless technology’s health hazards.” said Carolina Lavayen.
Over 240 scientists and doctors through the International EMF Scientist Appeal are asking the World Health Organization and the United Nations for greater health protection from non-ionizing electromagnetic field exposure from existing wireless technology with average frequency levels of 2.4 GHz already in place before the roll out of 5G which utilizes frequency levels between 24 and 90 GHz. Because there isn’t any proof that 5G technology is safe, new 5G towers being installed in residential areas and public rights of way make Florida residents science experiments.
During a 5G Federal Communications Commission press conference on June 20, 2016, Prior FCC Chairman, Tom Wheeler stated, “Unlike most countries, we do not believe that we should spend the next couple of years studying what 5G should be or how it should operate.”
Not only are new 5G cell towers considered a health concern by many Florida residents, but property values will also be affected considering many people will not want to buy or lease properties with towers that are aesthetically unpleasant.
Aesthetics is being utilized by many cities across the country to challenge the controversial rollout of 5G. The FCC with Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 prevents health or environmental concerns to interfere with the placement of cell towers, and also stripped both states and cities their rights to regulate telecommunications.
“The Florida Legislature has preempted local governments from the ability to regulate 5G cell towers in numbers and locations. Without basic health measures to ensure the public’s safety, the United States government is quickly rolling out 5G networks in neighborhoods and are enacting various state and federal regulations to expedite the rollout. These Federal and State regulations will impede the ability of communities to halt and be a part of the decision making process in this massive 5G infrastructure build-out. This Resolution, which passed unanimously, urges the Florida Legislature to reconsider its preemption of the issue until more studies are conducted and results determined.” Michele Lazarow, City Commissioner
Stop 5G Florida Petition
https://www.change.org/p/florida-state-house-stop-5g-deployment-in-florida
Stop 5G Florida website:
Stop 5G Florida Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Stop5GFlorida
Stop 5G Florida Instagram:
https://instagram.com/stop5gflorida?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=jikpzi4nhtu5
Published Research:
- Russell CL. 5G wireless telecommunications expansion:Public health and environmental implications. Environmental Research.
- Betzalel N, Ben Ishai P, Feldman Y., The human skin as a sub-THz receiver – Does 5G pose a danger to it or not?Environ Res. 2018 May;163:208-216. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.01.032. Epub 2018 Feb 22.
- Di Ciaula, Towards 5G communication systems: Are there health implications?, Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2018 Feb 2.
- Thielenset al., “Exposure of Insects to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields from 2 to 120 GHz” Scientific Reports volume 8, Article number: 3924 (2018)
