WX RADAR EXPOSES CTLRS TO RF RADIATION AND CAUSES ATC EQUIP PROB RADIO.

Narrative

THE NWS ERECTED AND COMMISSIONED A NEXRAD WX RADAR 1060 FT WNW OF AMARILLO ATCT. THE NEXRAD IS 103 FT TALL; PUTTING OUR 100 FT PLUS TWR DIRECTLY IN THE SWEEP OF THEIR RADAR. UCR HAS ALSO BEEN FILED IN REGARD TO INTERFERENCE IN CTLR'S HEADSETS (TONES IN THE EAR AS RADAR SWEEPS THROUGH THE TWR CAB). WE ALSO HAVE PERIODIC INTERFERENCE WITH THE APCH LIGHTING PANEL. AN ACR FLT FROM ABQ PERIODICALLY RPTS ON A FREQ BREAK-UP TO THE WNW OF AMA. A SEPARATE UCR HAS BEEN FILED ALONG WITH NUMEROUS CA-2'S CONCERNING THE EXPOSURE OF TWR EMPLOYEES TO APPROX 750000 WATTS OF RADIO FREQ RADIATION. AN EMPLOYEE MAY WORK UP TO 4 HRS A DAY; 5 DAYS A WK IN THE CAB. MOST OF THE RPTS STATE THE EMPLOYEE IS SUFFERING FROM SEVERE HEADACHES; NAUSEA AND SOME DIZZINESS AFTER THEIR TOUR IN THE TWR CAB. OTHER SAFETY CONCERNS ABOUT THIS TYPE OF EXPOSURE ARE THE POSSIBILITY OF CANCER. THESE FEARS COME FROM CONTINUED AWARENESS ABOUT THE EFFECT OF RF RADIATION -- IN LOW DOSES; SUCH AS CELLULAR PHONES; RADAR GUNS USED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT; AND EVEN UTILITY PWRLINES. MAR/XX/94; MR X; AN ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENIST; VISITED AMA ATCT TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF HAZARD CREATED BY THE NEXRAD SWEEP. THE NEXRAD WAS TAKEN OFF LINE FOR MAINT AND WHEN ASKED TO ACTIVATE IT FOR TESTING; HE WAS DENIED. MIRACULOUSLY; THE NEXRAD RETURNED TO SVC AT ALMOST THE INSTANT THAT MR X'S FLT DEPARTED. THIS INCIDENT ONLY HEIGHTENED OUR CONCERNS AS EMPLOYEES IN THIS WORK ENVIRONMENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED FAA HAS TRIED TO PUT A COATING ON THE TWR WINDOWS TO CUT THE RF RADIATION AND BRING IT WITHIN TOLERANCES. THIS DID NOT WORK. NEW TYPE WINDOWS WERE TESTED AT LUBBOCK TWR BUT WERE UNSATISFACTORY BECAUSE OF LIGHT DIFFUSION AT NIGHT. THE RF RADIATION IS NOT A PROB AT THIS TIME BECAUSE THE TWR IS UNDER RENOVATION AND THE CTLRS ARE WORKING OUT OF A TEMPORARY TWR. TWR RENOVATION WILL BE COMPLETED IN MAR/XX/96.