{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5268","number":"5268","name":"Lisa Jilek","organization":"","posted":"2026-10-27T04:00Z","received":"2026-10-21T04:00Z","body":"I am the Board Secretary of the nonprofit, Community and Friends of Seattle-Tacoma Pet Cemetery, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. I am writing as an individual to provide my comments today. I am an advocate for the historic Seattle-Tacoma Pet Cemetery est. 1950 on Kent’s West Hill in unincorporated South King County in a community of color, immigrants, refugees, and low income housing in Kent, Washington. A 100-foot industrial AT&T cell phone tower was installed by Crown Castle inside active Burial Block 13 with graves and mourners just over 115 feet from the neighbors in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in the wrong zone without a conditional use permit in violation of King County Code and Washington State cemetery law. It is dangerously close, illegal, unlawful, and unethical. It is damaging to the sacred burial grounds and is physically, mentally, and emotionally damaging. Not to mention it is aesthetically ugly and spiritually cruel to the living and to our beloveds. Humans, pets, K-9 officers, and service animals for the blind are all buried here, some as whole families. Crown Castle did not disclose human burials here and the historic significance of the historic cemetery here on the application. They railroaded it through the King County Permit department. Cemeteries function as a sacred space, regardless of a cemetery patron or visitor’s religious background. A cemetery is intended to be a place removed from the noise, hustle. Commercial infrastructure as a cell tower is, is an intrusion of a sacred burial ground meant for honor and memory. Radio frequency radiation exposes harm to people and animals who are mourning their loved ones. Cell towers take away the calm and harmonious space that it was meant to be in perpetuity. We want responsible placement of cell phone towers. We are not against cell towers and advocate for the safe and appropriate placement of cell towers — not here!\n\nAdditionally, as a public schools educator, board certified in special education, I am against cell phone towers near schools because they raise valid safety concerns for children and the staff that work with them. Research notes that children absorb more radio-frequency radiation due to their developing bodies which exposes them to long-term health problems such as cancer and neurological symptoms. \n(https://ehsciences.org/addressing-cell-towers-at-schools-science-based-policy-health-risks/)\n\nThank you for hearing my comments and taking them into advisement. Please update the 1996 wireless safety limits to truly safe limits in 2026, 30 years and counting. ","attachments":[],"attachment_inventory":true,"withheld":false,"source":"https://www.regulations.gov/comment/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5268","tags":["cancer-tumors","child-development","health-experiences","sleep-cognition","exposure-places","policy-standards","research-evidence"],"source_hash":"252c93167c4199e56feeec278afc1c57d37ca3034b59519ec13a0f1ede487a74","slug":"cancer-tumors-comment-5268","classification":{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5268","body_sha256":"7f85f3295ea57a04d02b67b3b37e0564ffa7a87fcd96e922b526f394587b14e1","status":"ai_reviewed","primary_topic":"infrastructure","topics":[{"id":"infrastructure","evidence":"nd low income housing in Kent, Washington. A 100-foot industrial AT&T cell phone tower was installed by Crown Castle inside active Burial Block 13 with"},{"id":"children","evidence":"towers near schools because they raise valid safety concerns for children and the staff that work with them. Research notes that children "},{"id":"standards","evidence":"ents and taking them into advisement. Please update the 1996 wireless safety limits to truly safe limits in 2026, 30 years and counting."}],"summary":"The commenter objects to a tower within a historic cemetery, alleges permitting violations and harm to mourners and neighbors, raises school-exposure concerns as an educator, and requests responsible siting and updated limits.","reviewed_at":"2026-10-27T19:20:49Z","review_method":"Full comment-text review with exact source evidence; attachments not reviewed","review_source_sha256":"03fb48d9aa42c3b67a65ba25043941454a5c40eb4833bcabc38195fcdbf85e7a","source_url":"https://rfsafe.net/hhs-comments/data/catalog.json","scope":"Original comment body; attachments excluded"},"forum_topics":["infrastructure","children","standards"],"primary_topic":"infrastructure","forum_title":"The commenter objects to a tower within a historic cemetery, alleges permitting violations and harm to mo…"}