Friday, September 19, 2008

Something new to worry about in cell phones

Perhaps out of habit and/or for the sake of convenience, some males reading this story, store their cell phone in talk mode in a pants pocket. It might be wise to re-think this habit since a new report reveals that mobile phones left on/in talk mode in said pocket can hurt sperm quality.

In a study semen samples from 32 men were collected and brought to the lab where the study was taking place. Each man's sample was placed into small, conical tubes and divided into two parts: a test group and a control group. The control group was unexposed to cell phone emissions, but kept under the same conditions and temperature as the test group.
The semen in the test group was placed 2.5 centimeters from an 850 MHz cell phone in talk mode for 1 hour. Researchers say that 850 MHz is the most commonly used frequency.
They used the measurement of 2.5 centimeters to mimic the distance between the trouser pocket and the testes.

Overall, researchers found an increase in oxidative stress such as a significant increase in free radicals and oxidants and a decrease in antioxidants. Agarwal says that equals a decrease in sperm's quality, including motility and viability. Evidence of oxidative stress can appear under other conditions, including exposure to certain environmental pollutants or infections in the urinary genital tract.

The findings are interesting so read the rest of the story here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/09/18/cellphone.sperm/index.html

...and the entire study here: http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/09/18/effectsofradiofrequencyelectromagnetcwaves2008.pdf

Given the negative possibilities and findings, it wouldn't hurt guys to re-think storing their cell phones in pants pockets. They could be stored for example, in a jacket pocket. See...females have an alternative in that they can store them in their purses, which are also used by males.

As Roseanne Rosannadanna used to say: it just goes to show you, it's always something.

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