3,138 Studies Reviewed. 77.4% Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.

Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.

Semen analysis of military personnel associated with military duty assignments.

No Effects Found

Weyandt, TB, Schrader, SM, Turner, TW, Simon, SD · 1996

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Military radar operators showed significantly lower sperm counts than unexposed soldiers, suggesting occupational microwave exposure may impair male fertility.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers studied sperm quality in military personnel who operated radar equipment (which emits microwave radiation) compared to soldiers without such exposure. They found that radar operators had significantly lower sperm counts and concentration than unexposed soldiers. This suggests occupational microwave exposure may reduce male fertility, though the small study size limits the strength of these conclusions.

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Semen analysis of military personnel associated with military duty assignments.

A collaborative study between the U.S. Army Biomedical Research and Development Laboratory (USABRDL)...

Analysis of the questionnaire information revealed that concern about fertility problems motivated p...

Additional studies, incorporating larger numbers of individuals, should be performed in order to more optimally characterize potential lead and microwave exposure effects on male fecundity.

Cite This Study
Weyandt, TB, Schrader, SM, Turner, TW, Simon, SD (1996). Semen analysis of military personnel associated with military duty assignments. Reprod Toxicol 10(6):521-528, 1996.
Show BibTeX
@article{weyandt_1996_semen_analysis_of_military_3491,
  author = {Weyandt and TB and Schrader and SM and Turner and TW and Simon and SD},
  title = {Semen analysis of military personnel associated with military duty assignments.},
  year = {1996},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8946566/},
}

Quick Questions About This Study

Researchers studied sperm quality in military personnel who operated radar equipment (which emits microwave radiation) compared to soldiers without such exposure. They found that radar operators had significantly lower sperm counts and concentration than unexposed soldiers. This suggests occupational microwave exposure may reduce male fertility, though the small study size limits the strength of these conclusions.