HHS-OASH-2026-0397-0076
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-0076

I am writing as a patient and former telecommunications industry professional who was diagnosed with a Clear Cell Grade 2 Meningioma in August 2019. I spent 20+ years working in the wireless telecommunications industry, where I was directly involved in developing wireless networks, tower sites, small cell sites, and rooftop and in-building distributed antenna systems for major carriers including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and formerly Sprint nationwide.

My job required me to work in close proximity to operating antennas and while transmitters were active. I was exposed to RF radiation on a frequent basis, often at close range, with cumulative exposure over years of employment. I deployed networks at various locations including the Empire State Building, Barclays Arena, and The Kennedy Center.

Since my diagnosis, I have been forced to confront a devastating pattern that I observed within my industry: I have watched colleagues and friends, skilled professionals who shared similar occupational exposure, die of brain tumors and aggressive cancers at young ages. I don't believe these were isolated incidents. The concentration of serious illness among workers routinely exposed to antenna radiation suggests a correlation that demands investigation.

I believe strongly that my occupational exposure to operating antennas caused my meningioma. The location of my tumor, the nature of my work, and the pattern of illness I witnessed among my peers cannot be dismissed as coincidence. Current FCC safety guidelines focus solely on thermal effects and do not account for the kind of chronic, close proximity occupational exposure that I and my deceased colleagues experienced.

This issue is deeply personal, but it is also a matter of occupational and public health. Workers installing and maintaining our nation's wireless infrastructure deserve protection. The public living near these facilities deserves answers. And patients like me deserve recognition that our experiences matter.

I urge HHS to prioritize research into occupational RF exposure and brain tumor risk, to examine patterns of illness among telecommunications workers, and to update safety standards that have failed to protect people in my profession. Please do not allow another generation of workers to face what I and my friends have faced.