Trading the verbal for the fertile As you may know, I've been one of the more vocal critics in the past about the excessive usage of cell phones these days - especially among kids. Not only are they distracting and dangerous for users (like those who are DRIVING), they're also annoying for bystanders to have to hear people yakking on them.
And although I've been inclined in the past to think a lot of the hype around possible cell-phone-related health problems is nothing more than urban legend, there is some evidence pointing to potentially serious health consequences for those who have these radio-wave units glued to their ears...
Today, there's more such news - some of the most persuasive yet.
But first, a little recap: Back in January of 2005, I reported on some European research linking a decade or more of cell phone use to as much as a four-percent increase in the likelihood of developing permanent, brain-damaging tumors of the auditory nerve. This report buffered the findings of a 2002 Finnish study that linked the type of radiation emitted by cell phones to adverse effects on brain tissue...
This latest research, however, doesn't focus on possible brain or nerve damage, like so many other studies have before. It aims a bit lower on the body: The testicles, in men.
According to some American research on British males, cell phones may indeed be the culprit behind that nation's precipitous decline in male fertility. How bad is the problem? Sources cited in a UK Daily Mail article on the research claim that sperm counts among Briton males have fallen by 29 percent in just the last DECADE.
Something's causing it, and it may be the "harmless" cell phone...
Previous research has postulated that there may be a link between cell phone use and sperm quality. According to this latest study's lead author, animal research has shown conclusively that the testes are susceptible to negative effects from radiation of a type similar to what cell phones depend on for communication.
But this latest research - revealed at the recent gathering of the American Society for Reproductive Health in New Orleans - looks to be the most conclusive and well-designed study on the topic yet. The research focused on four main criteria for sperm potency among the study's 360 test subjects: Count, motility (agility), viability (hardiness), and morphology (appearance). In ALL FOUR of these areas, those men who endured the most time on cell phones had the least healthy sperm cells. Consider...
Studied men in the highest cell-phone use category (four hours a day or more), experienced: - 25% lower sperm counts than those who never used cellular telephones
- A 33% lower rating of sperm quality (their swimming ability and hardiness) than their less loquacious peers
- 50% fewer properly formed sperm than non-cell users - with just 20% of sperm cells appearing normal under microscopic examination
As I said, this is some of the most convincing evidence yet that cell phones may have detrimental effects on our health. I've been healthily skeptical and reserving judgment on this topic until all the evidence is in - but this study goes a long way toward proving to me that these ubiquitous devices may not be so harmless after all...
Bottom line: If you've got a son or nephew who's glued to his cell-phone and also facing some struggles with conceiving, you may want to pass this article along. And whether you're a man or woman, until we know all the facts, it's best to use your cell phones sparingly, for emergencies only - or not at all! I don't own one -- never have. But I have to admit, they are good for emergencies -- especially for women traveling alone.
Remember, we all got along fine without them until more or less a decade ago. |
