The cell phone celebrates it’s 48 birthday this year - and since it's arrivale, it has gone through a massive makeover in both look and functions, since its introduction by Motorola in the 70’s.
The past 50 years has led the path for many different research projects. This research has showcased that a correlation exists, between mobile phone radiation exposure, DNA–fragmentation level and decreased sperm motility. Since it is hard to imagine any individual, in this modern world to not use a cell phone, it also becomes hard to not imagine a human being affected by this risk.
In 2014, a research article published in the Central European Journal of Urology showed how just having a cell phone near sperm decreases the mobility and effectiveness of that sperm. The study used 32 men with healthy sperm. They then took a specimen from each man and split it into two samples. Both samples were placed in a thermostat, with one sample being next to a mobile phone in standby/talk mode.
As you’d probably guess, the sample next to the phone was negatively affected. This sample saw a decline in sperm motility and direction, as well as dramatically higher DNA fragmentation.
Research has also shown in several studies that using a laptop directly on your lap, especially if that laptop is connected to wifi, will dramatically decrease sperm count and motility, as well as cause similar DNA fragmentation as to the previous study. An article published online in 2011 similarly showed that having a laptop on your lap for even just 4 hours can result in a loss of effectiveness in about 25% of sperm.
Another study of 361 men, published online in 2008 concluded the following:
Use of cell phones decrease the semen quality in men by decreasing the sperm count, motility, viability, and normal morphology. The decrease in sperm parameters was dependent on the duration of daily exposure to cell phones and independent of the initial semen quality.
The study showed that men who used a cell phone for 4 or more hours a day, had a 40% lower sperm count than individuals who didn’t use a phone at all.