{
  "id": "questions:how-far-should-i-live-from-a-cell-tower",
  "collection": "questions",
  "slug": "how-far-should-i-live-from-a-cell-tower",
  "name": "How far should you live from a cell tower?",
  "summary": "No authority defines a setback distance; beam geometry dominates, and measured residential levels are hundreds of times below limits. Look up the structure and measure.",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "question": "What is a safe distance from a cell tower or 5G mast?",
    "answer": "No health authority specifies a safe setback distance, because exposure depends far more on the antenna's height, azimuth and downtilt than on horizontal distance — levels directly beneath a tower are usually lower than a few hundred metres away, where the main beam reaches the ground. Measured residential exposures near base stations are typically hundreds to thousands of times below regulatory limits, according to ARPANSA and comparable regulators. If you want a defensible answer for a specific property, look the structure up in the FCC ASR database, work out the elevation angle to the antenna, and measure with a directional antenna rather than relying on a distance rule of thumb.",
    "cluster": "distances",
    "aliases": [
      "safe distance from cell tower",
      "how close is too close to a 5G tower"
    ],
    "related": [
      "emitters:macro-cell-tower",
      "protocols:tower-lookup",
      "glossary:eirp"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "arpansa-base-stations",
      "title": "Mobile phone base stations and health",
      "publisher": "Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency",
      "url": "https://www.arpansa.gov.au/understanding-radiation/radiation-sources/more-radiation-sources/mobile-phone-base-stations",
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "fcc-oet65",
      "title": "OET Bulletin 65: Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields",
      "publisher": "Federal Communications Commission, Office of Engineering and Technology",
      "url": "https://www.fcc.gov/general/oet-bulletins-line",
      "year": 1997,
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "fcc-asr",
      "title": "Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) public access database downloads",
      "publisher": "Federal Communications Commission",
      "url": "https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/data/public-access-files-database-downloads",
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/questions/how-far-should-i-live-from-a-cell-tower",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/questions/how-far-should-i-live-from-a-cell-tower",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/questions/how-far-should-i-live-from-a-cell-tower.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/questions"
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}