Version: 2008
  • On BNET: Vote: How will Apple blow it?

October 24, 2006 8:40 AM PDT

Chat on cell phone, become infertile?

  • 1 comment
Guys, you might want to put down those Razrs.

Cell phones have been linked to just about everything bad these days: tumors, eye cancer, an increased risk of car accidents and even flaming pants. And now you can likely add male-reproductive problems to that list.

Last year, a study by the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom found a possible connection between cell phone radiation and male infertility, and a new set of results presented this past Sunday at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine's annual meeting seems to enforce that link. An observational study conducted in Cleveland and New Orleans, as well as in the Indian city of Mumbai, has found that heavy cell phone use may contribute to a reduced sperm count and less viable sperm.

Between September 2004 and October 2005, a total of 364 males were evaluated by researchers from Cleveland Clinic, the Tulane University Health Sciences Center, and the Karthekeya Medical Research and Diagnostic Center in Mumbai. The study found that men who use their mobile devices for more than four hours per day were far more likely to have problems with sperm viability that could lead to infertility problems.

The researchers for the study stressed that more in-depth studies are needed to fully understand the fertility problems connected with cell phones. For example, the exact source of the problem needs to be pinpointed: It's unclear whether the reduced sperm count is more directly linked to cell phones' radiation or to their battery heat, which has been blamed for fertility problems related to laptop use.

But whatever the source of the problem is, men might want to think twice before chatting away for hours on their mobile phones and BlackBerrys.

See more CNET content tagged:
Mumbai, Cleveland, study, cell phone, New Orleans

Add a Comment (Log in or register)
Laptop Heat Issue...
by zaznet October 25, 2006 6:37 AM PDT
OK, linking the heat caused by a cell phone to the effects of heat in a laptop is just silly. The heat from a laptop only causes problems becuase it sits on the lap where the heat can effect the sperm production directly. Add to the heat that people tend to hold their legs close together which insulates that heat. Now replace the laptop which is hotter with a cell phone up near the ear and measure heat in the man's crotch. It is a significant difference.
Reply to this comment
advertisement
Click Here

Latest tech news headlines

RSS Feeds

Add headlines from CNET News to your homepage or feedreader.

More feeds available in our RSS feed index.

Markets

Market news, charts, SEC filings, and more

Related quotes

Dow Jones Industrials (0.00%) 0.00 10,464.40
S&P 500 (0.45%) 4.98 1,110.63
NASDAQ (0.32%) 6.87 2,176.05
CNET TECH (0.00%) 0.00 1,601.96
  Symbol Lookup
advertisement

Inside CNET News

Scroll Left Scroll Right