COUPLE WITH TOWER FOR A NEIGHBOR WORRIES ABOUT RISKS

Since the tower went up in 1994, "we've had trouble with our garage door opening," Westrich said. "We didn't have that until they put that radio tower in."

Westrich lives at 123 County Road 223 outside of Chaffee, just across the field from a tower used by KYRX-FM 104.7 radio station.

A California company, MS Communications, plans to add a low power television transmitter to the existing structure. A construction permit has already been granted for the new TV station, but that doesn't mean that the company will actually broadcast right away. Another application must be filed before the station can broadcast.

MS Communications has not said what sort of programming it will show when the station hits the airwaves.

Low power TV can operate on the same frequency as an FM radio station without much interference. The Federal Communications Commission doesn't allocate LPTV channels so perspective operators must choose a channel, perform frequency searches and make sure the new channel won't create interference, spokesman Evette Keene said.

However, Westrich says the radio tower already causes plenty of interference at his house, and fears more if a LPTV station is added. He and his wife, Clara, can often hear radio broadcasts through their television set.

Westrich wonders about the risks of radiation having a high frequency tower so close to his home. "We're just worried about our health," he said.

Dr. Walter Kopecky, a physicist who contracts with Southeast Missouri Hospital, said there is little scientific evidence linked to health risks and electromagnetic radiation.

"There is nothing to suggest that there are any issues," he said. "Mostly what you hear is anecdotal."

People who live near towers or heavy power lines often complain of headaches or ailments, he said. Sometimes those complaints are only psychological. "People will say that's what causes the ache in my bones" when likely it isn't.

Although there have been studies linking cellular phone usage with cancer and radiation exposure, there is little data to back up the claims.

"There is no real scientific data that radio frequency would cause any physical damage," Kopecky said.

Some radiation has to be expected, according to a consumer guide printed by the Food and Drug Administration. Electromagnetic radiation, which includes radio waves, covers a large spectrum from X-rays to visible light. Some of the rays in that spectrum have been found to cause cancer; others are harmless.

The FDA document says: "The currently acceptable assumption is that there is no threshold of exposure below which X radiation may not adversely affect human health. It is advisable, therefore, that X radiation from TV sets, as well as other electronic products commonly used, be kept down to the lowest practicable level."

Westrich questions what is an acceptable level of radiation.

He said the tower has increased its wattage twice since installation. He has written letters to the FCC and to state and federal representatives seeking advice.

"We just want to know if it's unsafe or if it will go up again," he said of the tower's current wattage. "Are there more problems that we don't know about? We'd just like to get some answers."

So far the answers he has received have only raised more questions. Documents mailed to the Westriches by the FCC are confusing and written in legalese.

"If you read this it only scares you more," Clara Westrich said, pointing to a stack of papers and brochures from the federal government.

Part of the problem in finding answers is that the federal government is the only agency regulating the tower. All construction permits, broadcast licenses and permission to increase wattage come from the FCC.

There is no zoning regulation that would prevent the TV station from building an antenna on the existing tower. In fact, there isn't any county zoning classification for the tower other than as commercial property.

Only the portion of farmland with the tower on it is considered commercial property, according to records at the Scott County Assessor's office. The rest of the area is assessed as agricultural land.

The hill along Highway A between Chaffee and Benton where the KYRX tower sits is owned by Marcus Seyer who leases most of the property for cattle farming.