Tech Environmental e-Newsletter
February 2007

CELL TOWERS & SATELLITE DISHES:

WITH REVENUE COMES RADIATION RESPONSIBILITY

Cell phone and satellite network infrastructure is everywhere. Many public and private facilities host cell towers, microwave dishes, or other transmitters on their land or buildings as a source of revenue, often renting space to companies that operate these devices on their premises. However, what you may not know is that landowners share responsibility for any occupational or public radiation exposures that may occur, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Recently approved standards require a proactive approach to the presence of these devices, and facilities that host towers or dishes should consider taking action to prevent liability.

This property's owner shares responsibility 

for radiation from these satellite dishes.

What are these "recently approved standards"?

In 2006, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved the "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Recommended Practice for Radio Frequency Safety Programs." This is the standard used by the FCC, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to evaluate antennae sites and ensure that radiation levels are measured and maintained within allowable limits.

What does this mean to me?

The new IEEE document requires that individuals and facilities hosting these devices take action to anticipate and react to radiation emissions. Required actions include maintaining lists of sources, monitoring emissions, controlling exposures, and providing employee training. Earlier standards provided only broad guidance for performing measurements and limiting environmental levels.

Who is responsible for compliance?

Federal and State regulations place the responsibility to implement safety programs equally on land owners and equipment operators.

Why should I start a safety program now?

Federal regulatory agencies such as the EPA and OSHA, as well as State and local authorities, are using the new standard to evaluate risk and rate the adequacy of safety programs. The existence of safety programs will reduce the likelihood of occupational or public overexposures and the possibility of regulatory enforcement actions.

Thomas P. Fuller, Ph.D.
TPFuller@TechEnv.com

781-890-2220 x112

CONTACT US
1601 Trapelo Road

Waltham, Massachusetts 02451

ph. 781-890-2220

fax 781-890-9451

info@techenv.com

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STAFF SPOTLIGHT 

Tech Environmental is pleased to welcome Dr. Thomas P. Fuller to our staff as an Associate.  If his name sounds familiar, that's because Dr. Fuller has been providing specialized expertise on TE projects since January 2005. Tom Fuller will continue to serve his former employer, Boston University Medical Center, as a TE Environmental Health and Safety consultant. 

Dr. Fuller is a Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) and an expert in radiation services.  He has experience in a broad range of occupational and environmental health areas. Tom Fuller is an outstanding addition to TE's expanding air quality services. 

Dr. Fuller received a Doctorate from The University of Massachusetts Lowell, a Master of Science in Public Health from The University of North Carolina, and a B.S. in Allied Medical Professions from The Ohio State University.  He is the Secretary of the American Industrial Hygiene Association's Nonionizing Radiation Safety Committee and the past Treasurer of the New England Chapter of the Health Physics Society. You can contact Tom by phone at (781) 890-2220 x112, or via e-mail (TPFuller@TechEnv.com). 

RADIATION MONITORING

Tech Environmental, with the assistance of Tom Fuller, recently developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to assist one of the largest solid waste management companies in the Northeast with radiation identification.  Officials in one municipality decided that radiation must be monitored at the municipal solid waste transfer station, but they did not develop a plan to determine the type of radiation, or the appropriate response to it. Eventually, a single incoming load triggered a positive reading for radiation.  The load was quickly quarantined and arrangements were made to ship the load to a hazardous waste disposal site.  This particular waste load contained a small quantity of low-level radiation from human waste; given the very short half-life of this radiation, the waste was, in fact, safe for disposal.  While arrangements were being made to ship the load to a hazardous waste facility, the radiation in the load decayed to the point of being undetectable.

While this load was clearly not a public safety concern, the public perception was that there was a window of opportunity in which the neighborhood could have been exposed to harmful radiation.  The community was thus strongly focused on a radiation detection program, believing it to be a necessity. As a result, an SOP was needed to address the community’s fears, and to direct facility staff in the event of radiation detection.  The SOP developed by Tech Environmental uses state-of-the-art detectors to properly assess false positives and detect specific isotopes, so that the proper disposal method can be determined. The SOP complies with applicable local, state and federal requirements regarding identification and control of radioactive material. Most importantly, the SOP provides immediate comfort to neighbors of the solid waste facility, while giving the facility operator a quick and cost-effective way to identify and dispose of radioactive material.

To learn more, contact Michael Lannan by phone (781-890-2220 x115) or via email at MLannan@TechEnv.com.

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