Lakewood Residents File Letter Protesting New Cell Tower Near Homes

Several residents from the area of Squankum Road have filed a letter of protest with Lakewood Township after a cell phone tower was installed near their homes without residents being notified of any health assessment having been conducted. 

The letter claims that the tower is within several hundred feet of the signer’s homes, and includes a screenshot of an article that mentions studies showing that close exposure to cell tower sites dramatically increases rates of cancer.

The letter requests that Lakewood Township express their disapproval to the operators of the cell tower and to have them remove it promptly.

The American Cancer Society says that there is currently “very little evidence” that close proximity to a cell tower increases the risk of developing cancer.

 

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51 COMMENTS

  1. This controversial cell tower is probably what brought covid-19 to Lakewood. I think we should remove this tower and all towers completely to protect our residents health and their neshamos.

  2. These day everyone complaining about everything. Stop worrying about cellphone towers. They don’t kill you. This why all cellphone are crashing. I am also suggesting stop listening too many fake news and they is too many fake news. I am upsetting about plastic bags and boxes for virus??? This is insane. Stop worrying and Daven that is your job.

  3. Thank you for putting this tower. hopefully this will help provide proper cell service in the area. This will help emergency responders in addition to mine and my neighbors cell phone service. Thank you Lakewood township officials for stepping up to the plate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  4. Maybe they could disguise it as a tree or… better yet planted a big tree instead. Is there any location left in Lakewood that is 1,148 feet from a home? It’s pretty concerning because it must be a powerful signal. When I pass the one on 9 by the lake, my car’s sattelite radio and the GPS in the car and phone navigation stop working.

  5. A quick pubmed search suggests that there are potentially real concerns associated with cell towers. PubMed is NOT junk science, quackery or whatever else you want to call it. It is valid, peer-reviewed, and published research.

  6. People have to learn that you can’t eat your cake and have it. You can’t complain about poor cell phone service, and then fight when new towers are quickly brought in to remedy the problem.
    Knee jerk reaction of entitlement combined with paranoia…

  7. Such a selfish letter!!! I hope the cell phone companies don’t listen to the small group of people. These people are probably also anti vaxers

  8. Anyone who wants faster cell service, please please get together with your neighbors and petition for the tower to be moved to your backyard.

  9. I am not a quack, or an antivaxxer. I was talking to a friend after someone died in his neighborhood, he mentioned that another neighbor has Cancer. Two weeks later another neighbor passed away from cancer same vicinity. My mother told me her friend was sick and I know she lives in same area. Two people on the block have other autoimmune conditions and several suffer from other ailments not very noteworthy but concerning. I looked on google maps and pinned all the houses of all the people that were mentioned in the same month. They are all VERY close to each other and near some interesting wire situation. Im not a dr. Im not a historian or detective. Something is a little fishy there. So yes this is a concern.

    • How old were these people? The Amr. Cancer Ass. says that 85% of all cancer happens to people older then 55. Most autoimmune illness also happens when people get older. Was your friend living in a NFRC (naturaly forming retirement community)?

  10. for all of you who are calling this letter selfish, please provide your contact info to the township so they know a place that will accept the radiation thats given off from a cell ohone tower. Thatll be a win-win situation for all of us. Otherwise, keep your selfish comments to yourself. Sure, why not benefit over others well being??!! As ling as youre not in the line of danger.

  11. Studies have shown over and over again that these towers emit radiation. I don’t live in Lakewood, but I know I certainly wouldn’t want one of these towers anywhere near my house!

  12. Quite apart from the legitimate issue that there was no notification to the public, no hearings, nothing, is that this tower is in violation of municipal law. Section 18-1012 of the township code states clearly that there must be at least 1500 feet – radially from the transmitter – to any residential structure. There are many homes that are as close as 400 feet. The height of the transmitter is also well above the limit specified in the code.
    It should be totally unnecessary for the community to have to petition the Township to remove a structure that its own municipal code prohibits in deference to legitimate concerns about serious health implications.
    We are demanding that the Township revoke its ill-advised approval and have this dangerous structure removed and relocated to a sparse area immediately.

  13. Cell towers causing cancer, vaccines causing autism is junk science but global warming, social distancing, flattening the curve are true? Either you believe the few or don’t.

    • The only science you’re talking about is Political $cience which is never based on facts. How about GeeWHOpolitical $cience?

      I beieve in my own research. You are not proposing a valid choice. Here’s what I believe: There are too few to believe and too many not to. History proves me correct.

  14. Google any or all of these and you will see that the American Cancer Society is tied to cell phone companies:

    “Wayne White Executive Leadership”
    “Sherri Prosser – Director, Entertainment Strategy”
    “AT & T joins American Cancer Society Relay for Life National Team Program for Fifth Year”
    “Why does the American Cancer Society claim smart meters are safe? AMI, wireless corporations are top corporate sponsors”

    I am sure there are many more sites that will show the same connection.

    We need to use our G-d given brains and don’t take everything at face value.

    One must always follow the money trail to get to the truth, and this applies to other issues as well including vaccines.

  15. We are talking about a temporary tower, nobody is claiming that living near a cell tower for 3 months will cause permanent damage. The claim of שומר פתאים השם would probably apply here. I would love to know if these people are ready to take אחריות for all the הבל פיהם של תשב”ר which is at stake here! חוסו עלינו ועל עוללנו וטפינו!

  16. Either way you go, question is does the tower really help? People with Verizon and with AT&T in Rockland neither are working either. Can we get real info from these company’s to what’s really happening?

  17. It has been proven. Cell phone radiation can cause diseases. I know of this thirdhand so I don’t know how accurate it is, I knew someone who knew a family who lived on the same block of of a cell phone tower and 3 of the family members were diagnosed with cancer.
    I believe that also if it’s that close to a residential area, the neighbors should be notified and they have every right to protest

  18. I guarantee yous, no one is getting cancer from a cellphone tower being near them for 2 weeks till this is over – and that’s according to all science. So go get a job and throw out your cellphone lest you get cancer.

  19. I’m surprised (though not shocked)
    Those who live close are nervous and rightfully so
    While those individuals who are only thinking of their poor cell phone reception and aren’t worried about perhaps causing someone else a life threatening illness)

  20. There is a place in N.C. that you can not have cell phones of microwaves if you have a problem with them you are welcome to move there and leave the rest of us with our poison cell phones.

  21. That’s it I guess there’s no hope for humans anymore. Why don’t these people use their brains and realize that everything if you search it on Google you will find an article saying that it causes cancer/Birth Defects. The only people that have any right to complain about such a thing are people who don’t use any sort of wireless device at all.

  22. To all those that wish us to have cell phone towers in our backyards,

    I wish you all to never object to a gigantic mall, or Shul, requiring a variance, For less parking than needed. Please submit your addresses to have the cell towers installed in your neighborhood, Verizon is looking for volunteers.

    In essence, Corona shouldn’t be used as an excuse to try to circumvent rules, if the law requires a hearing and due process, this shall be the law for all.

    In Howell, there was a hearing and Verizon agreed to move the tower by 200 feet, to accommodate residents concerns.

    Are Lakewood lives cheaper than Howell, Are Lakewood residents concerns less important than Howell’s ?

  23. In essence, Corona shouldn’t be used as an excuse to try to circumvent rules, if the law requires a hearing and due process, this shall be the law for all.

    In Howell, there was a hearing and Verizon agreed to move the tower by 200 feet, to accommodate residents concerns.

    Are Lakewood lives cheaper than Howell, Are Lakewood residents concerns less important than Howell’s ?

  24. The cell towers are needed to allow the Tinokes Shel Beis Rabbon a way to continue learning on the phone. I’m sure no bad will come from this temporary placement. All studies were done in areas with long term exposure to these towers. This is a temporary situation (hopefully) & should be safe. Please don’t cause a tremendous bittul Torah by opposing these towers.

  25. Times have changed.

    I remember 15 years ago, when phone company wanted to install tower, hundreds of people would show up to protest and prevent the install. It’s directly a result of those successful protests that the coverage in Lakewood is not adequate.

    Today we have become so enslaved to our cell phones that even if it was proven that it causes cancer we are willing to install the towers if detrimental to our health.

    However it is unfair to expect all people to feel like that. Some still have their priorities clear, where family health comes before your cell phone drug.

    If there is a neighborhood that wants this tower, please list your neighborhood and we could notify the telephone companies.

  26. David Miller- I would like to agree. But Verizon is simply following Lakewood’s standard rules. We need 29 parking spaces. Get a variance for 17. Oh, you need 100 feet on this property? Get a variance for 93. Taller fence? Undersized duplex? Setbacks? Variances all around.

    And now when Verizon finally offers a fix to the horrendous cell service, suddenly Lakewood is breaking the code. Maybe if the zoning board followed the rules in the first place, we wouldn’t be having these issues now.

  27. I’m really shocked at the callousness of the posters here. We are usually a compassionate people who try to empathize and help others. Yet here, you have residents complaining about a cell tower, which seems to have some merit, according to some studies, and people are trashing them.
    I wouldn’t wanna live near a cell tower or those high voltage electric wires.
    I feel bad for those living withing 1000 feet of this tower and I hope they get it moved.
    If it’s against the zoning law, this should be gone in a matter of weeks not months. Period.

  28. When everyone who signed that letter stops using microwaves, laptops, cigarettes etc, maybe you will have a valid point about the cell tower. I’m just so confused, everyone complains that there’s no service and we need more towers, so Verizon very nicely puts up more towers, and then we complain again?? What did you think was going to happen when you complained there wasn’t good service?

  29. You don’t like cell towers because of the radiation? You are afraid it’s going to cause cancer? Do you own a microwave oven? Then throw it out as it radiates much more radiation than a cell tower. BTW – all US Navy ships have extremely powerful radars on board. Explain to me why the sailors aren’t getting cancer?

  30. You can’t have it both ways; yes cell phones but no towers.
    It’s clear that the cell phone towers are needed, particularly due to the influx of new cell phones due to coronavirus.
    Of course it has to be within the guidelines of the township; but the tower is needed desperately.

  31. that tower is a permanent tower. if it was only there for to months it would be okay.

    Move the tower now! 1/2 mile from my home would be okay. under 400′ is not okay

    to all those selfish people who want service to be coming from my backyard
    how about installing wired phones and or internet instead of hogging up the cellular tower bandwidth ? (don’t tell me optimum is slow if enough people subscribed they would be forced to upgrade the infrastructure in Lakewood.

    And don’t be hogging the network watching movies all day.

  32. To the one who said about variances – for any variance that you get – you need to get it brought in front of the board, there are letters sent out to neighbors etc.. So yes there is a process and maybe the board is too easy on people. The issue here is that there was no letters sent out or board vote at one of the zoning meetings to change the variance for this. So the question is who approved it – why wasn’t there a stop work order put on this. It’s not like they hid it. So the question is – who let them do this??? I’m sure Verizon got the nod from someone… Yes the neighbors want to know. They want the tower moved to at least the zoning laws distance from their homes, and then if Verizon wants to move it closer, it should be done with the proper channels. Again WHO let this happen?????

Comments are closed.