Verizon Wants to Install a Cell Tower Near Their Homes. They’re Fighting Back, With Help From Children’s Health Defense

A community in Polk County, Wisconsin is taking a stand against a proposed 199-foot Verizon cell tower that would be installed within 500 feet of residential homes where multiple homeschooling families live. With support from Children's Health Defense's Stop 5G initiative, these parents are appealing the tower's approval, citing concerns about continuous radiofrequency (RF) radiation exposure for their children.

Families Face 24/7 Radiation Exposure

Stephanie Jansen, a Polk County mother who homeschools her 5- and 9-year-old children, owns property with two houses adjacent to the proposed tower site. One house sits within 500 feet of where the tower would be constructed, while the other is within 800 feet. Together with two neighboring homeschooling families, approximately 10 young children would be exposed to RF radiation around the clock.

"We're home all the time. We have no way of shutting this off or giving our bodies a break," Jansen explained. She emphasized that as a parent, she puts her "kids' health and safety first" and has known that cell towers are "not good." Research has linked RF radiation from cell towers to negative health impacts, including diabetes and chronic immune stress.

Community Opposition Meets Corporate Interests

In February, TowerNorth Development and Verizon applied for a conditional use permit to erect the tower in a cornfield corner next to a river—despite an existing AT&T tower located just one-and-a-half miles away. At an April 21 town hall meeting, more than 20 residents attended, with nearly all opposing the tower installation.

Miriam Eckenfels, director of CHD's Electromagnetic Radiation & Wireless Program, stated: "The Garfield community is very well informed about the ill effects of constant RF exposure and wants to raise their children in an environment free from this toxic exposure."

For parents concerned about EMF exposure in their homes, understanding EMF shielding solutions can be valuable, though distance from the source remains the most effective protection. It's also important to separate fact from fiction when evaluating common claims about 5G and EMF exposure.

The grassroots group Polk County for Safe Tech continues to fight the tower installation, demonstrating how organized community action can challenge telecom infrastructure decisions that may affect family health.

Originally reported by publichealthpolicyjournal.com