The effect of pulsed 900-MHz GSM mobile phone radiation on the acrosome reaction, head morphometry and zona binding of human spermatozoa.
Falzone N, Huyser C, Becker P, Leszczynski D, Franken DR. · 2011
View Original AbstractCell phone radiation reduced sperm's ability to bind to eggs by 30% at exposure levels phones are legally allowed to emit.
Plain English Summary
Researchers exposed healthy human sperm to cell phone radiation (900 MHz) for one hour at levels similar to what phones emit during calls. They found the radiation significantly reduced sperm head size by about 50% and decreased the sperm's ability to bind to eggs by nearly 30%. These changes could impair male fertility by making it harder for sperm to successfully fertilize an egg.
Why This Matters
This study adds important evidence to the growing body of research linking cell phone radiation to male fertility problems. The exposure level used (2.0 W/kg SAR) is at the upper limit of what current phones are allowed to emit, meaning men who carry phones in their pockets or use them frequently could experience similar effects. What makes this research particularly significant is that it examined specific mechanisms of fertilization, not just general sperm health. The 30% reduction in sperm-egg binding ability represents a substantial impairment that could translate into real-world fertility challenges. The science demonstrates that EMF exposure affects the very structures sperm need to penetrate and fertilize eggs, providing a clear biological pathway for the fertility declines observed in population studies.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 2 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 900-MHz
- Exposure Duration
- 1 hour
Exposure Context
This study used 2 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 5x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
This study evaluated the effect of RF-EMF on sperm-specific characteristics to assess the fertilizing competence of sperm
Highly motile human spermatozoa were exposed for 1 h to 900-MHz mobile phone radiation at a specific...
The radiation did not affect sperm propensity for the acrosome reaction. Morphometric parameters wer...
This study concludes that although RF-EMF exposure did not adversely affect the acrosome reaction, it had a significant effect on sperm morphometry. In addition, a significant decrease in sperm binding to the hemizona was observed. These results could indicate a significant effect of RF-EMF on sperm fertilization potential.
Show BibTeX
@article{n_2011_the_effect_of_pulsed_967,
author = {Falzone N and Huyser C and Becker P and Leszczynski D and Franken DR.},
title = {The effect of pulsed 900-MHz GSM mobile phone radiation on the acrosome reaction, head morphometry and zona binding of human spermatozoa.},
year = {2011},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20236367/},
}