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cancer and am xmtr locations

C

cbsstaffer

Guest
It seems to me many of my friends who worked in radio especially when the station was situated next to the towers, a very good example is 117 ridge pike, died of some sort of cancer. A good example was WIBG, when you had 50kw-d pouring out of 5 relatively small towers it had to do tissue damage. The WFIL and WIP jocks had no problem as their transmitters were not near the studios....The Rocking Bird was the latest tradgedy of being exposed to heavy wattage. FM jocks were less affected due to FM xmts not being near studios as much as AM. Now the question I ask all of you...does exposure to radio transmission increase the risk of cancer, I say yes....
 
This is a question that is also being raised about cell phones. Holding a transmitter against your ear 20 hours a day as some people do, cannot be healthy.
 
Until a couple of years ago, I would have said that this theory was bunk. No so now. I see way too many obits of radio folks who die far too young from cancer. And, it's not always lung cancer from heavy smoking (a common ailment among the old timers). There are lots of other strange conditions popping up. So, it does make you wonder.

When you have RF strong enough to hear an am signal through a phone line 5 miles away, it can't be good to work right at the source for a total of 6 days per week. And yes, the same probably is true of cell phones. Someday, all this will become clear and our offspring will wonder how we let it happen.
 
An interesting thesis, however pretty much of all the info on cancer and other health issues at am transmitter sites is anectodal, such as what you've provided. The only study I've heard of concerning this was done about 15 years ago and showed that there is apparently no higher incidence of cancer among those at high-power low frequency transmitter sites (like AM) than those in the population in general. On the other hand, there is evidence that the incidence of cancer among those who work at high-frequency transmitter sites (FM-TV-Microwave, etc) is greater than the general population.

Writing this as I sit less than 10 feet from WNTP's 50kw transmitter, 15 feet from WFIL's 10kw transmitter (running at 8KW), and 75 feet from the diplexed WNTP/WFIL tower closest to our building, this is something I have thought about at times over the years. If the anecdotal evidence about AM transmitter sites has any truth on its face, then I guess I am a prime candidate, having spent the majority of my adult life around high power AM transmitters (AM: WPTR, WNEW/WBBR, WNTP/WZZD). The truth is that I have been checked for cancer a few times and none has ever been found in me, by the grace of God.

My own personal experience may or may not have meaning, as it is also unscientific and subjective. I will say this, however. I have never felt ill being around high powered AM systems. I have, on the other hand, often felt "ill" when being around high-power FM/VHF/UHF clustered sites like the World Trade Center, Cheyenne Mountain, CO, and Holston Mountain, TN. All of these sites had extensive FM, TV, two-way, and microwave activity. Particularly at the World Trade Center, there were often times that I would leave the North Tower 110th floor feeling headachy or light-headed while I was working for WPAT-FM or WYNY-FM (the 103.5 version). I suppose I could contribute this to altitude, but none of the sites mentioned (with the exception of Cheyenne Mountain @ 10,000 feet) is/was all that high, comparatively (WTC @ 1300 feet, Holston Mountain @ 2200 feet). Also, I never felt this way on the South Tower of WTC when WYNY-FM's transmitter was located there, before we moved to the master antenna on the North Tower.

The bottom line is that I guess I have to trust that the OSHA RF Exposure limits are legitimate for AM. If that is the case, then all of the WNTP/WFIL building, with the exception of the heavily shielded WNTP phasor room) is well below those limits, as are the tower/atu plots outside of the tower fences. The same was true at WNEW/WBBR. I can't tell you about either WPTR back in the 70s, nor the WIBG/WZZD site in those days, because measurements weren't done on RF exposure then. I would love to know what that the exposure was like, though, back when the RCA BTA-50G was sitting in the WIBG/WZZD transmitter room. But, again, we didn't do measurements in those days so we'll never know.
 
Rene,

I think Archie Sichel longevity also add's some weight to disapprove the harmful effects of high power AM radio installations. Archie was CE of WIBG for what, 30, 40, 50 years? And he is currently pushing, 85. And certainly the Ampliphase was no better shielded that today’s equipment. In fact, probably just the opposite. I remember, it was all too easy to illuminate a florescent light bulb just by holding it in your hand back then. I suspect it may be just as easy now.
 
Sam Lit said:
I remember, it was all too easy to illuminate a florescent light bulb just by holding it in your hand back then. I suspect it may be just as easy now.
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Sam, my grandfather was a radar tech during WWII and used to tell us stories of how he could illuminate a light bulb just by holding it. He passed in '88 at the age of 71, cancer pretty much everywhere. Hopefully this theory is false and there may be other factors involved with the passing of radio folks at young ages from cancer. I am curious to find out if there have been any studies conducted on this topic. Have a great day everyone, and stay healthy!
 
WTUX said:
This is a question that is also being raised about cell phones. Holding a transmitter against your ear 20 hours a day as some people do, cannot be healthy.
Click to expand...

Sleeping for only four hours a day will kill you first.
 
My wife, who has used a cell phone a lot for a number of years (right handed and held it to right ear), recently had a grand mal seizure... Couple of weeks later diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme level 4...in the right frontal lobe.. 2 tumors.. It is a nasty, agressive and recurring cancer... Already has had 2 brain surgeries within 2 weeks., prognosis isn't too good... I'm sure as hell going to start using my headset as much as possible in the future... Why take a chance...
and to think I used to be in the same room as older ancient am & fm transmitters for hours a day...Thank goodness.. local, lower powered stations... The glow of those tubes was awsome... especially @ night... Hum..I'd better check to see if I glow at night now...



Enjoy the day...

walt
 
From everything I've read recently, a lot has to do with free radical levels and heredity towards suseptibility. This can explain why some smokers in their 80's enjoy perfect health, others die at 45. With that in mind...

My stays at commercial power level transmitters now is kept to a minimum. My use of a cell phone is only minutes a month. I usually see whos phoning, and return the call on a land line.

I used to love to go to the Roxborough Farm and work on the WPGR Harris MW50. I've worked with Gates, Synergix and Harris 50Kw FMs, and always left ill. UHF Mosley STLs seem to make me queasy after a shift at 900Mc. However, I spent over 18 months at 117 Ridge with the RCA 50G and 10G, and despite HUGE RF levels in the building and grounds, never had a problem with the lower 990Kc.

BUT, I know of several engineers who passed from brain cancer, most notable, the AM genius Michael Venditti. Mike showed me how he had 1540 station legal, but sounding like FM mono by transmitting in variable wideband, BUT complying with NRSC splatter masks. He was simply amazing. He also spent uncountable hours in high RF fields.
 
Sam Lit said:
Rene,

I think Archie Sichel longevity also add's some weight to disapprove the harmful effects of high power AM radio installations. Archie was CE of WIBG for what, 30, 40, 50 years? And he is currently pushing, 85\
Click to expand...

Very true, Sam. And my former boss at WPTR in Albany, Jim Cruise, who was in their high RF field from 1947 until the late 1980s. I haven't checked as of late, but he was still going strong 5 years ago. Some of the engineers at WNEW were other examples I can think of (notably Dom Papale) who last I heard was still alive and living somewhere in NJ.
 
Wil said:
my grandfather was a radar tech during WWII and used to tell us stories of how he could illuminate a light bulb just by holding it.
Click to expand...

This is still a trick I do on tours to impress unsuspecting visitors. There's a lot of RF around a 50KW phasor or tower -- enough to even light a flouresent bulb. I've also heard stories that in the days when WLW was experimenting with 500KW back in the 30s, when they turned the transmitter on some farmers in nearby farms didn't have to use utlity power to light the electric light bulbs in their barns. I've also hear such stories in Europe where there a some AM and Long Wave stations running as much as 2,000,0000 watts (number is correct).
 
If you live live close enough to a strong field, or can put up a big loop, you can rectify it and have nifty free trickle-charger.

I believe lower frequencies are safe. Once the wavelength begins to approach the physical length of structures and cells within
the human body, basically above 30 mhz, the concerns about cellular mutation begin.

I will no longer carry a cellphone in direct flat contact wtih my body, I don't wan't to be a ghz reflector.
I keep a thick notepad between it and me. Of course this is a newer GSM type that doesn't communicate nearly as much as the phone
2-phones ago that WAS beginning to cause a odd itchiness on the left side of my chest, maybe 6 yrs ago.

My first Motorola flip phone (2004) gave an audio sparkling sensation on the side I used it on (whichever).
Oddly, at a frequency higher than I can hear by air/eardrum conduction. Over 20khz, anyway.
I presume it was by direct RF stimulation of the receptors in the inner ear.
I didn't like it, and noticed the perception faded with time, as those "notes" were probably burned out.
I now have a RAZR and wonder if I begin using a hands-free if that range of hearing will return.
 
It is good to see the spreading awareness of potential cell phone health dangers. I carry a phone for emergency use only! Beyond that I simply won't use it! Perhaps I am just sensitive to such things, but I have literally felt a tingling on the side of my head where I have used a cell phone moments before. Rather creepy.
I have also worked in studios that sat next to 5kw directional AM arrays as well as next to a 6kw FM tower.
Time will tell I guess, but I have never felt any physical reaction to the transmitter sites...
 
Fascinating thread...brings to mind when I worked at WKRC in Cincinnati about 30 years ago. Most of the time was spent in a transmitter building in Kentucky with a pair of MW-5's running 5K Day/1K night & the nearest tower (thanks to the 550khz freq) was pretty far from the building. But we did occsionally have to go to the studio which also housed WKRC TV's 316KW ERP transmitter. That being a place where people worked forever (fortunately, I didn't), we were discussing retirement and could not name one broadcast engineer who worked at WKRC TV that lived to age 65. That was a sobering tidbit that's burned in my mind & was resurrected by this thread. I love transmitters & regularly work with them...but when they are operating, it's rarely for more than 30 minutes or so.

I think I saw Rene Tetro's name on here...if you're the same one who worked at WNDE in the late 70's, thanks for some superb sounding audio on "WINDY 1260"...
 
All good points, I wonder what the C-rate is around the Rox, antenna farm, studies are taken near the local Sun refinery for C rates, but I don't know how the rate is around the antenna farm and if any studies were taken, there are sure plenty of signals bouncing all over the place. I do think the proximity of the 5 short tower-50kw-d array at WIBG was not healthy. I guess if you were lucky enough to work at a station in a city limit environment with the transmitter located a distance away you were in good shape. I can still remember in the parking lot of WIBG in 1964 with a tape recorder, hitting play and picking up on the tape what WIBG was transmitting from those towers, real weird stuff....
 
BUT, I know of several engineers who passed from brain cancer, most notable, the AM genius Michael Venditti.
Click to expand...

The story goes that the size of the tumor pulled out of Mike's brain was the size of a tennis ball. I wasn't in the hospital that day so obviously I can't confirm or deny this, but I've heard this rumor from a number of sources.
 
After the surgery, Mike asked Joan how big was it? "as big as a walnut"...Mike said "I hate walnuts". God bless you Mike.
 
BobOnTheJob said:
I think I saw Rene Tetro's name on here...if you're the same one who worked at WNDE in the late 70's, thanks for some superb sounding audio on "WINDY 1260"...
Click to expand...

That indeed was me. Thanks for the compliment. I haven't thought about my Indianapolis days in a while. Great staff at WNDE/WFBQ in those days. Mike Ivers, Chuck Taylor, et al on WNDE; Mike Griffin, Liz Curtis, et al on WFBQ. All under the capable operations manager Tom McMurray of WBT fame. I had a good engineering staff as well. Roger Helling and Mike Rabey were both excellent engineers...both still are. I enjoyed my days working there - and some of the night, too :)
 
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