Exposure to RF-EMR Emitted by Mobile Phones Could Lower Sperm Quality, Researchers Say

Keeping mobile phones in trouser pockets might lower fertility in men, a new study suggests.

Around 14 percent of couples in high and middle income countries have difficulty conceiving and scientists believe that the mobile phones are to be blamed for the rise in infertility rate among men.

Researchers at the University of Exeter found a strong link between exposure to Radio frequency-electromagnetic radiation (RF-EMR) emitted by phones and lower sperm quality.

Previous studies on the subjects had tied the RF-EMR to decrease in male fertility. Dr Fiona Mathews, of Biosciences at the University of Exeter, and colleagues used data from earlier studies to see if there was a connection between the two.

The research was based on 1,492 samples collected at fertility clinics and research centers. The sperm quality was measured using three criteria: motility, viability and concentration. Data came from controlled as well as observational studies.

Around 50-85 percent of sperms in the control had normal sperm movement. Researchers found that for every one point exposure to mobile phone radiation, sperm mobility decreased by 8 percent. Similar effects were seen for sperm viability, which is the proportion of live sperm.

"Given the enormous scale of mobile phone use around the world, the potential role of this environmental exposure needs to be clarified. This study strongly suggests that being exposed to radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation from carrying mobiles in trouser pockets negatively affects sperm quality. This could be particularly important for men already on the borderline of infertility, and further research is required to determine the full clinical implications for the general population," Mathews said in a news release.

The study is published in the journal Environment International.

Previous research has shown that exposure to cell phone radiation can up brain tumor risk. According to National Cancer Institute, there is still some ambiguity over whether or not radiations from mobiles cause cancer.