Laptop Wi-fi Damages Sperm Quality

Scientists are studying if using wi-fi on a laptop could harm a man's fertility since laboratory experiments by Argentinian scientists have suggested that ejaculated sperm were significantly damaged after only 4-hours of exposure.

Scientists studied semen samples of 29 healthy donors. The donor sample was divided into two pots- 1 pot was kept next to a laptop that was wirelessly connected to the internet for 4-hours, while the other was stored under identical conditions, minus the laptop. Following laptop exposure 25% of the sperm were non-motile and 9% showed DNA damage, compared to just 14% non-motile and 3% DNA damage in semen samples stored at the same temperature away from the computer.

Scientists suspect that the effect seen is unrelated to the heat kicked out by a laptop and electromagnetic radiation generated during wireless communication could be the culprit.

Experts stress this does not mean the same would occur in a real-life setting and say men should not worry unnecessarily.

The study is published in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility.

Source: Medindia