Wi-Fi radiation from laptops may cause infertility in menLaptops with wi-fi technology have given us the capability to connect to the internet almost anywhere, but now researchers say wi-fi radiation may also be giving us more infertility by decreasing sperm motility and damaging DNA in sperm.
Is Your Wi-Fi Laptop Hurting Your Sperm?
Published in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, the study looked at how radiation emitted from wi-fi laptops impacts sperm health. Researchers in Argentina took semen samples from 29 healthy men, and they measured sperm motility after four hours of exposure to wi-fi radiation from a laptop wirelessly connected to the internet. Sperm in the control group was kept at the same temperature for the same amount of time, but was not exposed to wi-fi radiation.
Of the sperm exposed to the wi-fi radiation, 25 percent stopped swimming. Only 14 percent of unexposed sperm ceased to swim after four hours. Wi-fi sperm also showed 9 percent DNA fragmentation, or irreversible damage in the genetic code, while sperm in the control group only showed 3 percent.
Electromagnetic radiation is a product of wireless communication, and researchers suggest this radiation may be causing sperm damage. "We speculate that keeping a laptop connected wirelessly to the internet on the lap near the testes may result in decreased male fertility," say the researchers in their report. They also recommend more studies be done to examine the long-term impact of wi-fi radiation on sperm in a real world setting.
It's important to note researchers compared radiation emissions in wi-fi laptops to laptops without wi-fi connection. Emissions from laptops without wi-fi were negligible, while emissions from wi-fi laptops was significantly higher.
Previous studies on laptops and fertility have produced similar results. Another legitimate concern is scrotal hyperthermia (elevated testicle temperature), which can easily occur if you sit with a laptop in your lap for hours at a time. Scrotal hyperthermia negatively impacts sperm quality and can cause decreased fertility.
The solution? Keep the laptop off your lap. Laptops may have been designed for convenient lap placement, but this is obviously not best for your health. Instead, use your laptop on a desk or get a specially designed laptop tray.
Also, use a wired internet connection when possible, as it appears the radiation emitted from wi-fi communications may be particularly harmful to sperm.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/11/29/how-does-laptop-wi-fi-affect-male-fertility/http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238455.phphttp://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57332822-10391704/laptops-damage-sperm-what-wi-fi-study-shows/
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