Science teacher tests cell tower emissions

Community members worried about the cell phone tower that recently went up by Sonoma Valley High School and Adele Harrison Middle School might have more to worry about with their own cell phones, according to an exercise carried out by a local science teacher. The effects of energy from such towers and other accoutrements of modern life like microwaves and wi-fi routers are often a concern to parents. Some concerned about how the tower might affect their children’s’ health brought the issue to the Sonoma Valley Unified School District Board of Trustees last month. The board had approved the project some time ago.
“I was curious about it and I thought, there’s enough interest, it’s a question worth answering,” said Dean Knight, a science and physics teacher at Sonoma Valley High School. His main interest was in measuring relative amounts – how does the reading off a cell phone compare to the cell phone tower?
He bought a TriField-brand meter, which measures electric and magnetic fields, and tested away. He started by testing his wife’s cell phone then moved on to testing students’ cell phones. He only picked up a signal when the person was talking on the phone. In that case, the signal hit the max the meter could read – 1 milliwatt/cm2. He went with his class and stood below the cell tower, where the meter registered almost zero. However, microwave energy fans outwards in a plane, so Knight took another measurement on the second floor of the H Building, outside of the rooms. There he picked up a reading of 0.01 milliwatts/cm2. Inside the rooms, he didn’t pick up anything, which he thinks might be because of the steel in the building.
“If they’re concerned about a tower like this, it seems to me they should probably be concerned about their cell phones, as well,” said Knight. “I left it up to the students to make their own conclusions. These kids can put two and two together.”
Knight wonders if the study might change student behavior – for instance, prompting them to give up their cell phones. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a resounding ‘No,’” he said.
High school principal Micaela Philpot reported Knight’s findings at the school board meeting on Tuesday.