Minnesota woman sues T-Mobile and AT&T for making her sick،
Minnesota resident Marcia Haller filed a lawsuit against American Tower, AT&T and T-Mobile for making her sick, reports Wireless Estimator.
She moved with her husband to her current residence in a rural area north of Duluth in 2008. Shortly afterward, a cabled tower was erected nearly 1,300 feet from Haller's home. The cell tower was later purchased by SpectraSite, which later merged with American Tower Corp. American Tower leases space to T Mobile and AT&T.
Haller has suffered debilitating health issues since the tower was upgraded to 5G in October 2019 and wants it removed. She believes exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation is the reason she suffered 51 strokes, and she also blames it for a host of other serious problems, including loss of vision and hearing and cognitive disorders.
Wireless Estimator writes that it is rare to find a single contractor that provides upgrades for both AT&T and T Mobile simultaneously. Additionally, AT&T didn't roll out 5G in the region until six months later.
Haller is supported by Children's Health Defense's (CHD) Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) and Wireless program. Lawrence Behr, CEO of LBA Group, is skeptical of some of CHD's claims, stating:
The FCC standard for general population exposure to cellular frequencies rarely exceeds a few dozen feet from a cellular base antenna. I have never encountered a situation where the cellular RF exposure limit is reached even 500 feet from the antenna.
These guidelines were set for a safety factor of 10 times. It should be noted that typical electromagnetic radiation from the sun on the human body is several times the maximum exposure allowed according to safety guidelines for cellular RF.
Haller remains convinced of the harmful effects of radiation, reporting that when they left the area her health improved, but the symptoms recurred upon her return.
The Hallers built a Faraday cage in their garage to protect Marcia from RF radiation. She wants American Tower, AT&T and T Mobile to modify RF signals by reorienting antennas or purchasing new antennas to form a beam.
Whether Haller's claim is practical is another question, since it is not possible to prevent leakage of RF signals beyond the targeted area. The trial recognized this, but emphasizes that:
If the removable barrier is not readily achievable, then defendants must provide access by other means, even if they are not the most appropriate integrated parameters.
AT&T and T Mobile are expected to file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit based on the security of RF transmissions.
If the court sides with Haller, carriers would have to reduce or eliminate transmissions. This decision could affect Haller's neighbor.
