The goal of this contract is to provide support of National Toxicology Program (NTP) hazard assessment activities targeted toward the prevention of cancer or other adverse effects potentially caused by environmental exposure to cell phone radio frequency radiation (RFR). Renovation of the IIT Research Institute laboratories to meet the requirements of the NIEHS Statement of Work for the conduct of toxicity and carcinogenicity studies of cell phone RFR in laboratory animals has been completed. An automatic watering system for use in RFR exposure systems, as well as prototype cage racks with automatic watering system manifolds have been constructed. A prototype reverberation chamber was constructed and optimized for RF field strength and uniformity in this exposure system. Exposure chambers for evaluating health effects of cell phone RFR in rats and mice as well as exposure monitoring systems have been installed in the IIT Research Institute laboratories in Chicago, IL. The performance of these systems with respect to NIEHS requirements for field strength, field uniformity, and RF signal characteristics have been verified by independent measurements by engineers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. With recent demonstration that environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity, air flow) and field strengths in the exposure chambers are well maintained, animal exposures are expected to begin in early FY'09. Keywords cell phone; radio frequency radiation (RFR); GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) and CDMA (Code Division for Multiple Access) signals; reverberation chambers; chronic toxicity; carcinogenicity; blood brain barrier leakage; specific absorption rate; micronuclei; DNA strand breaks; rats; mice
