Large cell phone antennas are capable of reaching phones miles away, and the transmission of signals produces relatively high levels of radiofrequency (RF) radiation. The exposure to students and teachers from antennas on or near school grounds depends on their configuration and height.
Elevated, pole mounted antennae are usually focused to avoid vertical dispersion, reducing levels for those who are close to the base. Antennas mounted directly on school buildings, or pole mounted antennas placed further away from school buildings may increase RF radiation exposure.
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The most robust study of cell towers and their potential health impacts was conducted by the Ramazzini Institute, a world-renowned research organization funded in part by the U. S. government.
The Institute performed a life-span carcinogenic study on Sprague-Dawley rats – the same animals we use to test pharmaceuticals – to evaluate the effects of RFR with regard to distant cell towers.
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The results of the study, announced in 2018, showed an increase in brain and heart cancers among the thousands of animals exposed. This corroborated similar results of the 2016 National Toxicology Program study which found the same cancers in a study of radiation from cell phones.
The study did not report findings on behavioral abnormalities in the animals tested.
Given the large and growing body of science linking exposure to RF radiation with behavioral problems and neurological impairment, it would seem logical that any non-essential exposure to RF radiation at schools should be avoided.