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Is That A Phone In Your Pocket?

 

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What did you find?
There were 85 percent more free radicals generated by the exposed sperm samples in both healthy and infertile specimens versus the control group, and a 6 percent decrease in antioxidants in the exposed samples, the chemicals that fight free-radical damage. Motility, or what proportion of sperm are moving, decreased by 7 percent, and the viability, or the percentage of sperm that is alive … decreased by 11 percent. That was for both groups, the healthy men and men with fertility problems, as compared to a control group that had no exposure.

Were you surprised by this?
We were actually excited. We had some inkling that we would see some changes, but not to this extent. The exposure was not that long.

So should men chuck their earpieces, get their phones out of their pants and go buy a purse?
No. This study isn't definitive. Our preliminary results should be validated with a larger sample size. The next step is to obviously take a look at the muscles, fat and tissues that separate the testes from this exposure. We're building a very sophisticated computer model that will mimic real-time cell-phone use. Essentially, we want to re-create with a computer model exactly how men use their cell phones and how it may affect their fertility. Those answers will add to the body of knowledge.

What do you want to say to men you see who use hands-free devices and stash their phones in their pants?
I think if I went up to a man and told him he may be harming his fertility because of his cell-phone use, I'd probably get a punch in the nose. I do believe that something is going on with cell-phone use and male fertility. But we need more well-designed studies with more convincing results before we can say with certainty that cell phones hurt male fertility.

Where do you keep your cell?
In my pants pocket. But I don't use a hands-free device, so my phone is in standby mode, not talk mode, when it's in there. We're not sure if a cell phone in standby mode could cause damage to sperm because we don't know for sure the minimum amount of radiation that may induce damage to sperm cells. There are a host of things that we don't know at this time. Besides, I already have two children.

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Member Comments

  • Posted By: Tcushy @ 01/24/2009 1:11:04 PM

    I cant believe these statistics 40% male/ 40% female and 20% unknown. I read a supporting article for couples and support on this article: http://conceivableworld.com/QuickClicks/MaleInfertility/HavingAMaleInfertilityTest

  • Posted By: not registered @ 01/19/2009 7:40:59 AM

    Irrespective of anything, the antenna on a mobile phone is capable of transmitting / receiving a signal up to 20 miles with ease (further if line of site communication can be achieved and good atmospheric conditions are encountered)!
    In order to communicate and encrypt the transmission between the base station and the mobile device, a large number of transmissions are made ??? some at high power some at low whilst the phone works out frequency and time multiplexing regimes.
    Ultimately because of this I have ???off time??? where my mobile is turned off; I have people call the land line.
    When I can???t achieve ???off time??? I put the mobile in window (vertically stood up) in the room nearest the base station with the Antenna facing the base station (remember though that antennas on phones are slightly directional primarily they still propagate the signal in all directions). You???re now going to say that last part of the sentence contradicts is self, but what I am doing is getting the phone to use as LITTLE power as possible to communicate with the base station, you should always try to do that ??? don???t call from the middle of the office, call from outside or near a window / door.
    We still don???t fully know what LONG TERM impact low power radio devices will have on the human body, and the more complicated and awash the planet becomes with WiFi / Cell phones it???s better to try and reduce your exposure whilst you can!
    Once you get into the Architecture of UTMS (Universal Mobile Telephone System) do you realise how impressive these devices are, and how we should treat them with respect.
    As a foot note mobile radio has existed for around 80 years but these were analogue devices that behaved and were used in a very different way ??? i.e. they were only used by the Military / Fire / police and they users would not have the radio with them and turned on 365 days a year ??? let alone in their pockets.

  • Posted By: walterbuch @ 09/21/2008 9:43:03 AM

    Oxidative stress is caused by mobiles. Lots of studies here.

    1) Mobile EMF leads to oxidative stress in rats as measured by MDA, NO, ADA and reduced SOD and GSH, reversed by Ginko-biloba. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14734207
    2) EMF from mobiles myocardial oxidative stress in rats (reversed by CAPE a components of honeybee propolis), http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16342473
    3) Mobile induced plasma LPO and reduced SOD, GSH-Px.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11516912
    4) Mobile reduced DOS-1 in human blood platelets.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16602439
    5) Simulated GSM MAST radiation well below ICNIRP limits led to MDA, reduced GSH, SOD in rats.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16954120
    6) Mobile induced oxidative stress in rat retina. Melatonin vs CAPE, both reversed, Melatonin ???won narrowly??? on GSH.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16317515
    7) EMF from mobile Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), oxidative stress in rat kidneys, CAPE reverses
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16132717
    8) Melatonin vs CAPE, mobile damage to rat kidneys, both reversed, Melatonin overall more effective
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16132682
    9) Mobile effects on rats kidneys, rats pre-treated with Melatonin were protected.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15950073
    10) Nonlinear time window ??? effects of mobile on human blood platelets with respect to SOD-1 and MDA ??? after 1,5,7 mins, SOD-1 down, MDA up, but after 3 mins, the reverse.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12474410
    11) Mobile radiation-induced increases in nitric oxide levels
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15886623 and
    12) Mobile radiation-induced increases in nitric oxide levels
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11192886

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