Director of scientific nonprofit calls for law changes amid controversy over 5G tower on Wyandotte school

WYANDOTTE, Mich. (FOX 2) - As parents continue to push for a 5G cell tower to be removed from atop a Wyandotte elementary school, some are pushing for a ban on towers on schools.

An agreement between the district and T-Mobile led to the cell phone provider placing a 5G tower on the chimney of Washington Elementary. In exchange, the school gets a little over $1,000 a month.

"The laws that we have in the United States do not adequately protect children. We know enough to know that we need to reduce exposure, not increase it," said Theodora Scaruto, the executive director of Environmental Health Trust.

More: Scientist says cell equipment on top of school is a health danger

The Environmental Health Trust acts as a watchdog for agencies and corporations that have published their own research on cell radiation. 

Scaruto sent a letter to Michigan Rep. Jim Desana, who is proposing a bill to cell keep towers away from schools.

"The fact that this is over the heads of kids on a school building just makes me feel frustrated and angry that this went there. This process was so closed and not available for the parents to know anything about," he said.

The American Cancer Society doesn’t have an official stance on whether radiation from cell towers can cause cancer. Organizations, including the FDA, CDC, and FCC, say there’s not enough evidence to link radiation with health impacts. However, most of that focuses on cell phone use — not towers.

The Environmental Health Trust says the FCC's research is from 1996 and is outdated. 

"It’s egregious that we don’t have laws that haven’t been updated since 1996," Scaruto said.

Scaruto said that while it is inspiring that parents are standing up in Wyandotte, but they shouldn't have to.

"It’s both inspiring, but parents should not have to be protesting on this issue. We should have laws that are protective and are science-based," she said.