Cell phones could harm sperm

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Last updated April 12, 2019

Men who carry their Blackberry or new and old cell phones in their pocket or on their belt loop could be risking their fertility and the health of their sperm.  A major health advocacy group has released a new report dealing with the potential harm done to sperm by cell phones, with the Environmental Working Group (EWG) having reviewed the available scientific literature and found that as many as ten studies discovered that significant changes had been caused to sperm that were exposed to the radiation from cell phones.  The study found that men who carried their cell phones on a belt or in their pockets were much more likely to have less mobile or more inactive sperm count.

“People are so preoccupied with brain tumors that the fertility issue gets very little play,” notes the editor of a newsletter about electromagnetic radiation, Microwave News, Louis Sleesin.

Exposure to cell phone radiation has likewise been linked with markers for sperm damage including higher levels of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, oxidative stress and changes to sperm morphology.

“We have enough evidence to issue precautionary health warnings,” says Dr Joel Moskowitz, who is the Center for Family and Community Health director in the University of California at Berkley’s School of Public Health.  “The evidence for sperm damage is quite consistent across many studies.  The issue is far from settled, yet the proposals put forward by EWG are low-cost precautionary actions.”