Effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic waves (RF-EMW) from cellular phones on human ejaculated semen: an in vitro pilot study.
Agarwal A, Desai NR, Makker K, Varghese A, Mouradi R, Sabanegh E, Sharma R. · 2009
View Original AbstractOne hour of cell phone radiation significantly reduced sperm movement and survival while increasing cellular damage.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed human sperm samples to cell phone radiation for one hour and compared them to unexposed samples from the same men. The exposed sperm showed significantly reduced movement and survival rates, plus increased oxidative stress (cellular damage from harmful molecules). This suggests that men who keep their phones in their pants pockets during calls might be harming their fertility.
Why This Matters
This Cleveland Clinic study adds to mounting evidence that cell phone radiation directly damages male reproductive cells. What makes this research particularly compelling is the controlled design - each man served as his own control, eliminating variables that could skew results. The one-hour exposure duration mirrors real-world phone use, and the effects on sperm motility and viability are exactly what you'd expect to see with fertility problems. The oxidative stress findings are especially concerning because this type of cellular damage can accumulate over time. While the study didn't measure specific radiation levels, cell phones in talk mode typically emit their highest power output. The reality is that millions of men routinely carry active phones near their reproductive organs, often for hours daily. This isn't about avoiding technology entirely - it's about making informed choices about proximity and duration of exposure.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study. Duration: 1 hour
Study Details
To evaluate effects of cellular phone radiofrequency electromagnetic waves (RF-EMW) during talk mode on unprocessed (neat) ejaculated human semen.
Neat semen samples from normal healthy donors (n = 23) and infertile patients (n = 9). After liquefa...
Samples exposed to RF-EMW showed a significant decrease in sperm motility and viability, increase in...
Radiofrequency electromagnetic waves emitted from cell phones may lead to oxidative stress in human semen. We speculate that keeping the cell phone in a trouser pocket in talk mode may negatively affect spermatozoa and impair male fertility.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2009_effects_of_radiofrequency_electromagnetic_1812,
author = {Agarwal A and Desai NR and Makker K and Varghese A and Mouradi R and Sabanegh E and Sharma R.},
title = {Effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic waves (RF-EMW) from cellular phones on human ejaculated semen: an in vitro pilot study.},
year = {2009},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18804757/},
}