PITTSFIELD, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lawyers on behalf of Children’s Health Defense (CHD) have filed intervention papers in a case filed by a Verizon Wireless affiliated cellular provider in Pittsfield, Massachusetts seeking to invalidate an order by the Pittsfield Board of Health. The Board found the cell company was causing injuries to local residents and issued a cease-and-desist order. Lawyers on behalf of CHD have been advising the residents for several months while the matter was before the Health Board and is filing in the court case to defend the Board order.

The Board went through an exhaustive analysis of the science, medical records, and testimony from renowned scientists, medical doctors and residents. The Board found “convincing evidence that pulsed and modulated RFR [wireless radiation] is bio-active and affects all living things over the long term. RFR can and does also cause more immediate harm and injury to human beings. The Health Board has also received strong evidence that the … wireless facility is presently causing such harm and injury to numerous residents.” The Order also noted that the cell tower:

“[will] continue to drive residents from their homes … [and] is a public nuisance, a cause of sickness, and a trade which may result in a nuisance or be dangerous to the public health.”

“CHD is committed to protecting children from all kinds of toxins, and excessive wireless emissions in residential areas are just that,” said CHD president and general counsel Mary Holland. “The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit recently agreed that current standards may be obsolete in a case CHD filed against the FCC. The cluster of severe illness among 17 residents in Pittsfield near the new cell tower confirms our arguments to the FCC and the court.”

Attorney W. Scott McCollough, through the support of CHD, represents four of the affected families. The residents are now intervening to defend the Board order and ensure the cellular company is held to account for the injuries it has caused. “We will explain to the Court that the Board’s order is lawful and is not preempted by federal law,” said Holland. “But first we will move to dismiss the matter at the outset because the cell company’s legal contentions are premature and invalid.”

Contacts

Rita Shreffler
202-599-1461