Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke has introduced legislation looking to prevent the city from placing cell phone towers on city owned property, such as parks, schools and recreation centers, that are used for the "care and education of children."
On Monday, Clarke said she wanted to look at banning wireless communication towers from some city owned property because it is unknown if the towers have adverse health effects on children.
"Why take a chance?" Clarke asked.
She said the Montgomery County Board of Education has already taken the steps to ban the towers from being placed on elementary schools and play grounds, and that Baltimore should follow suit.
But the American Cancer Society expresses skepticism on its website about these towers having an adverse impact on resident’s health.
"Some people have expressed concern that living, working, or going to school near a cell phone tower might increase the risk of cancer or other health problems. At this time, there is very little evidence to support this idea," according to the website.
The bill was sent to the City Council’s Land Use and Transportation Committee for a hearing at a later date.
A budget analyst in the city’s Finance Department was not immediately available to discuss how much the city makes from agreements allowing companies to place towers on public property.
Sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Contact editor Adam Bednar with any news tips. Want to write on your own? Skip the middle man. Join our Local Voices.