The Haines Borough Assembly on Tuesday delayed voting on a resolution to lease land near Lutak Dock for a Verizon cell tower.

The assembly postponed its decision about the tower until a third public hearing on Feb. 8.

The tower would enable wireless communication services along Lutak Road and at the ferry terminal. Initially, it was reported that the tower would provide 5G — the latest generation of high-speed wireless cell service — although neither the borough’s potential lease agreement nor the project plan for the tower mentions 5G.

At the Jan. 25 assembly meeting, assembly member Gabe Thomas asked consultant Patrick Evans of Lynx Consulting if the tower would provide 5G or not. (Lynx is working with Vertical Bridge Development, the company that wants to build the tower.) Evans didn’t directly answer the question and said his associates would provide the public with a preliminary site plan and radiofrequency emissions report and a radiofrequency engineer would be available to answer questions at the Feb. 8 hearing. Evans declined to comment for this article and referred the CVN to Vertical Bridge Development, which could not be reached before press time.

Some residents have raised worries about the health risks of exposure to 5G radio waves. About 10 residents gathered at the Chilkat Center on Jan. 19 to discuss their concerns about radiofrequency radiation from wireless technology.

Sarahlee Kittons questioned whether Haines really needs more cell towers and faster wireless service. Kittons noted that some flights have been grounded in the Lower 48 due to worries that 5G interferes with altimeter technology in airplanes.

Alaska Airlines recently reported that the rollout of 5G had created disruptions for some regional flights. Verizon and AT&T agreed to delay turning on some 5G towers near airports, but the FAA has since approved 90% of planes for low-visibility flights near 5G airports, according to a Reuters report this week.

“Haines is such a beautiful environment for our residents and a blessed opportunity for a quality of life beyond what many people can ever experience. It is my concern that technology is increasingly permeating our daily life,” Kittons wrote in a public comment for Tuesday’s assembly meeting.

At the Chilkat Center, Steve Kroschel encouraged residents to research effects of 5G — and other wireless networks like WiFi — on the health of humans and wildlife and to stand up against the tower and adopt a moratorium on 5G. “What’s happening in our world, what’s happening to our minds right now is so diabolical and so hideous,” Kroschel said.

Electromagnetic waves at very high frequencies, called ionizing radiation, which includes x-rays and gamma rays, are known to damage human DNA and cells. But radio waves emitted by cell phones, including 5G, are at the lower end of the frequency spectrum, called non-ionizing radiation, and according to the CDC and National Cancer Institute, these waves are not known to cause damage to human cells.

Still, the CDC, World Health Organization and National Cancer Institute say more research needs to be done to determine conclusively the health effects of 5G or other wireless technology.

“To date, and after much research performed, no adverse health effect has been causally linked with exposure to wireless technologies. Health-related conclusions are drawn from studies performed across the entire radio spectrum but, so far, only a few studies have been carried out at the frequencies to be used by 5G,” according to a World Health Organization fact sheet.