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Cell Phones May Lower Sperm Count, Part Deux

by Terrence O'Brien on September 19, 2008 at 01:32 PM

Cell Phones Lower Sperm Count: Part Deux
From the guys who first brought you that hit record 'Cell Phones Lower Sperm Count (Maybe Baby)' comes the follow up hit from Ashok Agarwal and the Cleveland Clinic Players -- 'Cell Phones Really Do Lower Sperm Count (It's a Possibility).'

Agarwal continues his tradition of hard-hitting, completely inconclusive studies of the effects of cell phone radiation on sperm count. His first study used self-reported sperm levels from a small sampling of 361 men, and broke them up into categories based on self-reported cell phone usage (more of a telephone survey than an actual medical study). Men who logged longer cell phone usage also tended to report lower sperm count. But, this study ignored all other variables.

So for his follow-up, Agarwal removed other variables by analyzing test tubes full of human seed. Samples from 32 men were divided up into two vials, and sperm count and sperm mobility were measured. The control group merely sat in the tube, while the other batch was placed 2.5 centimeters away from a 850mhz cell phone in "talk mode" for one hour.

The cell phone batch showed increased oxidative stress and an increase in free radicals, which have been linked to practically every disease under the sun, including cancer.

However, Agarwal is quick to admit that this experiment doesn't consider any protections that clothing or the human body may provide, and, due the small sample size, is hardly conclusive. In fact, Agarwal still carries his own cell phone in his pocket, which leaves us to wonder why he even bothers in the first place. [From: CNN]

Tags: health, killer gadgets, KillerGadgets, science, sperm, sperm count, SpermCount, studies

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