SNOHOMISH — Two new AM radio towers proposed for the Snohomish River valley won’t be approved by Snohomish County until any potential health risks are analyzed, a county hearing examiner decided.
County planners must investigate whether allowing two 199-foot antennas to be built might radiate too much electromagnetic energy and threaten the health of those nearby, deputy examiner Ed Good said.
He cited a study linking the proximity of AM radio towers to the likelihood of leukemia in children. The study was submitted by opponents of the towers and appeared in the August issue of The American Journal of Epidemiology.
The study said children who live within 1.2 miles of AM radio antennas are twice as likely to develop leukemia than those who reside farther away.
That’s not enough to prove AM towers cause leukemia, Good said in his decision, “but the study does convince the examiner that such a causal link is plausible.”
Angela Day, an opponent of the proposed towers, submitted the study to Good.
“The examiner has given credence to the health concerns,” said Angela Day of Snohomish. She lives about a mile away from the proposed tower site.
“Most people don’t realize the implications of what these radio towers have for them or their children,” she said. “There’s no scientific consensus on the health effects. There’s a lot of evidence out there suggesting significant potential for harm.”
The Skotdal family, proponents of the towers, have asked Good to reconsider his ruling. The family owns KRKO 1380-AM and a proposed new 1520-AM frequency.
The two stations are proposing to share an array of six towers on 40 acres south of Snohomish. Five towers are proposed to be 199 feet tall, and one tower 349 feet tall.
Four of the towers were hard fought by residents, but the towers eventually won approval by county officials and in court. Federal construction permits are pending.
The proposal to tack on two more towers to the array required a new application and round of county hearings last month, as well as federal review.
All issues will be resolved and the project will be built, said Andy Skotdal, spokesman for the family’s radio business and KRKO general manager.
“Health issues were raised in 2002 and were defeated in those hearings,” Skotdal said. “One new study with questionable data isn’t going to change anything.”
Cancer rates were similar between people exposed to radio waves as those who weren’t, Skotdal said. “The results fell entirely within the study’s margin of error,” he said.
Only federal regulators have authority over health issues, Skotdal said.
“The Federal Communications Commission is very specific about what we can and cannot do,” he said. “We meet the FCC’s criteria 100 percent.”
The station’s analysis shows exposure levels at the property line will be far below FCC standards, Skotdal said. “With numbers that low, I don’t see how there can possibly be an issue anywhere.”
Additional hearings are expected but haven’t been scheduled.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
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