But telecom says fears are unfounded
By Avy Mallik
Rose Jair lives in the bustling Chinatown neighborhood near Stockton Street, a place inhabited by buses, streetcars and pedestrians for the better part of the day. Jair, who works alongside her husband at Jack Jair Realty, finds it taxing to live and work in such a dense and noise-polluted place.
Nothing, though, worries her more than Sprint PCS’s proposal to build antennas, right in her neighborhood.
“Our community is comprised of many sorts of people,” Jair said. “There are proprietors, workers, schoolchildren, patrons of shops, and senior citizens. All will be affected if Sprint builds their proposed plan.”
Under the plan, three antennas and five equipment cabinets would be constructed. The antennas are 56 inches high, and will be placed on a street level balcony space on the corner of Stockton and Clay. The electronic structures would improve cellular phone coverage in the Chinatown district, a place currently synonymous with weak cell-phone reception.
But a hand-full of residents says the antennas and cabinets will increase noise pollution in the neighborhood. “We don’t need all this,” Jair said. “We don’t want a perpetual humming noise from the equipment fans at night.”
On June 27, concerned citizens held a meeting. The purpose behind the event was to discuss the issues raised by the community. Representatives from Sprint tried to quell the worries of the 18 people in attendance.
Jennifer Espes, a Sprint PCS consultant, addressed the issue of noise pollution: “The only noise that will occur from our antennas and equipment cabinets are the fans. They will be turned on only in extreme heat to cool down the equipment. Their noise level is below 30 decibels anyway, so it is impossible that they will be heard at all.”
The antennas and the equipment are to be built on top of the Kong Chow Benevolent Association building. The community center rents out their street level space to the U.S. Government and Post Office. But they have come under a considerable amount of flak for renting out their space to the telecommunications corporation.
Al Chin, who works at Kong Chow, feels that the entire issue has been blown out of proportion. “Everyone in Chinatown needs better cell phone coverage,” he said. “And with the regular noise from traffic and pedestrians, no one will be able to even hear the equipment box fans.”
Beyond concerns of noise, many residents are worried about the possibility that these antennas emit harmful fields of electric and magnetic radiation. A flyer that has been circulated throughout the neighborhood implied that the equipment boxes, coupled with a PG&E generator functioning under Clay and Powell Streets, could cause high levels of radiation. According to a community newsletter, illnesses such as leukemia and lymphoma have been linked to such antennas.
But representatives from Sprint said there has been no research that shows antennas cause illness. Caroline Semerdjian, public relations manager for Sprint, said “there is only speculation and rumors about the adverse effects of telephone antennas.
“The residents who oppose the antennas are most probably just misinformed,” she said. “They don’t know about the various Danish and American studies stating that there is no relation between cancer and electric fields. The general public just doesn’t know.”
Semerdjian also pointed out that Sprint must abide by strict federal government regulations.
“We are way below the highest emission standards allowed,” she said.
Still, the community activists have kindled interest from City Hall. One of Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s aides, who was present during the neighborhood discussion and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said their office had received several complaints about the antennas from Stockton residents.
Asked whether Chinatown residents can successfully block the antennas from being placed, Peskin’s aide replied, “If there is a large turnout [for the protests], then Sprint might have to build the antennas elsewhere. It’s happened before,” the aide said referring to the failed attempt to fix several antennas on Van Ness and Broadway, a project that was thwarted by widespread community opposition. |
