PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Joy Aiton has lived in the Lucerne neighborhood of Greenacres for 25 years. In 2022, an AT&T cell tower suddenly appeared near her front yard.

WPTV first told you about a cell tower being built in Stuart last thursday Aiton contacted us after our story aired.

“When I heard that on TV I thought, ‘Oh. They do that in many areas, too,’” Aiton said.

Aiton says she was not notified about the tower years ago.

Caleb Holder, WPTV

“When you think something is that close and they’re giving off some kind of signals, I can’t help but think it’s going to have an effect on somebody,” Aiton said.

I took Aiton’s and Stuart’s concerns to health experts. Dr. Andres Alvarez of Memorial Healthcare System specializes in oncology research.

“Cell towers are still relatively new,” said Dr. Alvarez. “Many people and many scientists and doctors are looking for long-term health effects.”

WPTV

Dr. Alvarez says that while it’s too early to tell if radiation is linked to cancer, people have reported side effects like headaches and migraines. He adds that it’s the new data he’s looking for and it’s a call to action.

“It’s so important that we need to follow up and we need to do some research on the effects of cell towers,” Dr. Alvarez said.

WPTV has reached out to the Town of Greenacres about the tower. In a partial statement, they said:

AT&T also approached cell tower construction in Stuart. They say the action is part of their ongoing efforts to improve wireless service for our customers in Florida.

Anyway, Aiton wants the cell tower removed.

“At the end of the day, I’d like that thing to go away,” urged Aiton. “From this. Away from me, away.”