A Tower Too Close?
From the USA to the UK: Phone Masts Near Schools Raise Serious Concerns
“These kids shouldn’t be guinea pigs.”
Outrage erupted at Weston Elementary School in Ripon, California, after a fourth child was diagnosed with cancer. In protest, 200 children stayed home, and concerned parents packed the school board meeting to demand action. One parent declared:
“Coincidence is no longer a valid explanation.”
The focus? A cell tower installed on school grounds and growing fears of harmful radiation exposure.
An EMF specialist featured in the news coverage issued a stark warning:
“I wouldn’t send my kids there… it’s certainly dangerous, especially when their cells are still dividing. This is the worst time to expose them.”
💔 One mother spoke of the heartbreak of watching her young son lose all his hair and miss out on childhood with his friends. Just five months later, his classmate Mason was diagnosed with brain cancer. He endured a 14-hour surgery, five weeks of rehabilitation, and had to relearn how to walk and eat. Two more children were later diagnosed. For many parents, this was no longer coincidence it was a cluster.
But it wasn’t only the children who suffered. According to community reports and local news, three teachers at Weston Elementary also developed cancer, including a beloved art teacher who died in 2018. These cases heightened alarm and raised broader questions about staff safety and long-term exposure.
Watch – Initial outrage (March 2019):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7l6FpdsyuQ
Sprint claimed the tower was safe but moved it anyway. Parents and experts remain unconvinced. https://www.cbsnews.com/sacramento/news/ripon-cell-tower-school-removal-cancer/
Linking to the UK: Tragic Deaths at Millstead School – Calls for Answers and Action
In the UK, in 2024, two children died at Millstead School in Liverpool. The EM Radiation Research Trust (RRT) called for urgent answers. Alarmingly, radiation measurements at the school recorded some of the highest levels ever seen from a nearby phone mast. The RRT submitted a detailed response to the UK Health Security Agency, calling for a full and transparent investigation into the deaths of the children and reported illnesses at the school.
https://radiationresearch.org/response-to-uk-health-security-agency-from-the-em-radiation-research-trust-calling-for-a-full-investigation-into-the-phone-mast-near-millstead-school-following-the-deaths-of-the-two-children/
This crisis echoes the warnings issued 25 years earlier by Sir William Stewart, the UK’s former Chief Scientific Adviser to both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair. In 2000, as chair of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, Sir William published the landmark Stewart Report on mobile phone safety. Importantly, the report specifically advised that the “beam of greatest intensity” from any phone mast antenna should not fall on school grounds or buildings unless agreed by the school and parents.
Additionally, the Stewart Report recommended that permitted development rights for the installation of mobile phone base stations should be revoked. It stated that all new base station developments including those under 15 metres in height should be subject to the full planning process, particularly when located near schools or other sensitive sites. Official UK Parliament Research Briefing provides a comprehensive summary of the Stewart Report’s findings and recommendations. Research Briefings
Links to the Stewart Report: https://radiationresearch.org/report-of-the-group-the-stewart-report/
“For all base stations, including those with masts under 15m, permitted development rights should be revoked and the siting of all new base stations should be subject to the normal planning process.”
Yet despite these clear warnings, such safety measures have been ignored or actively weakened over time. Planning safeguards that once protected schools and sensitive sites have been eroded, and the situation is only getting worse with the aggressive rollout of 5G and densified wireless infrastructure. Small cell antennas are being deployed on lampposts and rooftops near homes and schools, often without public consultation or full planning scrutiny. The original precautionary recommendations from the Stewart Report have been quietly side-lined even as radiation exposure from new, high-frequency wireless technologies continues to increase.
A Call to Action
Children are our most vulnerable, and these tragic cases reveal growing and urgent public health concerns. Wireless infrastructure emitting high levels of electromagnetic radiation must not be placed near schools or areas where children and staff spend prolonged time, especially without informed consent and thorough investigation.
We demand:
• Independent, transparent investigations into all reported cases of illness and deaths near EM radiation/phone masts.
• Immediate enforcement of exclusion zones around schools and homes for phone masts and wireless transmitters, following Sir William Stewart’s recommendations.
• Stronger regulation based on the Precautionary Principle to protect children and vulnerable populations from unnecessary exposure.
• Greater public awareness and open dialogue about EMF risks, prioritising health over industry interests.
Parents, teachers, health advocates, and policymakers must unite now to protect the future of our children. No child should ever suffer for the sake of mobile phones or faster downloads. When warnings are ignored and safety measures stripped away, we fail our children. It’s time to listen, and it’s time to take action.
Demand justice and safety. Say NO to wireless radiation near and within our schools.