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Semen samples were taken from 32 volunteers and divided in two. Half of the samples was placed 2.5cm away from an 850 MHz mobile phone switched on in’ talk mode’ for one hour. The researchers chose this distance because it is the typical distance between the testes and the trouser pockets. The other half of the samples were kept for comparison (a control sample). The samples exposed to mobile phone radiation showed a significant decrease in sperm quality.

Lead researcher Ashok Agarwal cautioned that, whereas the study had demonstrated that human sperm are adversely affected by mobile phone radiation, it had not proven that a mobile phone left switched on in a pocket or strapped to a belt would damage the sperm in a man’s testes. Further research was required to test what protective effect, if any, a man’s scrotum afforded.

Ed.- The evidence of biological effect and possible harm is growing. Two more examples ...

• Dr. Imres Fejes from the University of Szeged (Hungary) was the first to link male infertility with the use of mobile phones. His research, conducted on 221 men over 13 months, linked up to 30% drops in sperm counts to carrying a mobile phone on ‘talk mode’ in a trouser pocket. He also found that many of the sperms that had survived were partially damaged, further reducing fertility. The researchers explained that damage to fertility can be caused while the mobile is on stand-by mode because it still constantly emits microwave signals to tell the nearest radio masts where it is
• Dr. Thomas Gutchi and colleague’s analysis at the University of Graz (Austria) of 2,000 young men without children found that 68% of men who carried their phones in talk mode in their trouser pocket had damaged sperm, compared to 58% of men who did not use a mobile phone. The principal damage was to the sperm’s shape, a possible cause of infertility, but the sperm were also less active