Investigators in the Department of Environmental Health at Colorado State University have received a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a component of the National Institutes of Health, to evaluate human responses to residential exposures to radiofrequency (RF)radiation in the vicinity of Lookout Mountain, Jefferson County, Colorado.The principal investigators on the grant are Dr. John Reif, professor and chairman of the department and Dr. James Burch, assistant professor.They are collaborating with investigators at the School of Public Health, University of Washington in the area of exposure assessment.The grant award is for a period of three years.Results of the study are anticipated to be available in the latter part of 2004.

This study will carefully examine the effects of residential RF exposure on melatonin and other markers of human biological response to non-ionizing radiation. Melatonin is a hormone which has been shown to be suppressed in some animal and human studies in response to exposure to electromagnetic fields. The hormone has a number of properties which could provide the mechanistic basis for several reported EMF-related human risks.Evaluation of immune function,a marker of DNA damage, and several other biological endpoints is planned.The endpoints chosen for study were selected in part based on the investigators earlier work with powerline frequency electromagnetic fields in humans and with experimental and other evidence of biological effects of non-ionizing, radiation in humans.

The investigators plan to study approximately 300 persons, of whom 75 will be children aged 8 and above.Potential participants will be randomly selected from residents expected to be exposed to RF fields who live in the vicinity of the towers and those who live further from the towers and are expected to be unexposed. Investigators will collect urine samples from all participants and blood samples from adults.A questionnaire will be administered by trained field staff.Exposure measurements for radiofrequency and powerline frequency fields will be made in the homes of each participant.Informed consent to participate will be obtained from all participants according to procedures approved by Colorado State University's Office of Regulatory Compliance.The investigators expect to initiate the field study and data collection in January, 2002.