.jpg "The latest study on cell phones suggests you might not want to keep a talk mode cell in your pocket.")
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IMAGE SOURCE: Wikimedia Commons/ cell phone image/ author: Mnoon
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Do the radio frequencies from cell phones decrease sperm quality?
That was the question before researchers from the Cleveland Clinic who based this latest study on an earlier one.
In it, men who used cell phones more than four hours a day, had lower sperm quality compared to men who did not.
In this phase of the study, researchers wanted to know if the diminished sperm quality might be linked to cell phone use.
The results are published online today in Fertility & Sterility.
In the study, sperm from 32 men were divided into a test and a control group. In the test group, the specimens were placed one inch from an 850 MHz cellphone, the most often used frequency, in the talk mode.
After one hour of exposure, the sperm showed higher levels of harmful free radicals and less protective factor in the form of antioxidants when compared to the control group. In all, the exposed sperm had less function and motility but there was not a measurable significant difference in damage to the DNA of the sperm.
Lead researcher Ashok Agarwal, says that oxidative stress can appear after exposure to environmental pollutants and infections in the urinary genital tract.
"On average, there was an 85 percent increase in the amount of free radicals for all the subjects in the study. Free radicals have been linked to a variety of diseases in humans including cancer," Agarwal tells CNN.
The theory is that cell phones have a thermal effect that increase the temperature of the testes and damage sperm cell.
The small sample size of the study means it may not translate into real-world conditions, where layers of clothing may offer some protection.
Of concern - men who put their cell phones in the pants pocket in the on position while using a hands-free device. The researchers suggest that if you are planning a family, probably not a good place to keep your cell phone.
The cell phone question may hinge on the amount of exposure. Long-term, heavy use is still suspected in brain cancer.
A recent study of pregnant women with heavy cell phone use found behavior problems in their children.
The cell phone industry, responding to the study to CNN, denies there is any link between cell phone use and adverse health effects.
Even Agarwal admitted that his own cell phone was in his pocket during a recent interview and concedes his study has not proven that you should stop putting the cell phone in your pocket. #