Long Island Parents Sue Over T-comm Towers in a Residential Area, Near a School

The debate over the possible health risks of electromagnetic radiation from power lines, antennas and even devices such as cell phones and microwaves continues to rage on, as evidenced by a recent article in Newsday. A raft of scientific studies in numerous countries over the years have proved inconclusive, with evidence on all sides of the argument.

The uncertainty has left a number of public health and environmental advocates, not to mention concerned parents, to insist on caution. The risk of injured children (who are more susceptible to the effects of radiation and other carcinogens) is so distressing that some believe limiting exposure is worth a degree of inconvenience and higher costs when it comes to siting infrastructure and using electronics, even if scientists can't prove a definitive link.

In Bayville, on New York's Long Island, four residents have initiated legal action against the village, hoping to overturn a resolution that allows the Nassau Police Department to install six transmitter antennas and two microwave dishes at a water tower site. The residents are also asking for removal of what already is there. They claim the deed that transferred the property to the village in 1950 does not allow "commercial enterprises" or anything that is "offensive, dangerous or obnoxious" to nearby residents.

The site is near Bayville Primary School, where a number of parents have tried to have their kids transferred to other schools out of concern over the antennas. The mother of a 5-year-old daughter who attends the school told Newsday, "We don't want our children to be a long-term experiment."

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