

Effect of mobile telephones on sperm quality: Review and meta-analysis - daveytea
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412014001354

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Daishiman
Though I have no qualifications in the field of study, it does explain in
detail the methodologies, and the specific parameters are narrow and
objective.

My only gripe is that the samples are taken from people going to fertility
clinics, but it seems to be accounted for as best as possible.

It would be interesting if more studies were done explaining the interplay of
biological mechanisms that lead to this from exposure to RF, as well as
accounting exactly how much of this is due to device heat and how much from RF
exposure.

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lmg643
I think this is a very important point - people who go to fertility clinics
are already having problems and not representative/random.

Further, a "meta analysis" means they are not doing original research, they
are just culling together other papers on the subject into a single study.

I'm terrified to think this study could be accurate.

~~~
devindotcom
Well they're taking data from studies already done, but it's not just like
they put a bunch of papers in a bucket and stir - if it's a smart meta-
analysis (and there are other kinds) they'll be looking for effects suggested
by data but not looked for in the original studies. Like if you did a meta-
analysis of a hundred experimental cancer treatments that took down detailed
demographics and found that people living in certain areas of the country were
more likely to develop cervical cancer or something. It's definitely "original
research" but it's not experimental research.

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kator
Time to register faradayunderwear.com and profit!

Bummer a quick search shows this stuff apparently is already a "thing". [1]

My high school science teacher always said that he felt all the radio stuff we
are doing will be the end of humans. This was in the '80's and he was
considered a bit of an eccentric but he may have been onto something.

[1] [http://www.gizmag.com/wireless-armour-
underwear/31861/](http://www.gizmag.com/wireless-armour-underwear/31861/)

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Gnarl
The majority of wireless radiation/semen quality studies show oxidative stress
as the mechanism behind the observed DNA damage. Sperm cells are a great model
for studying the effects because they don't have the same protective measures
as other, longer living, cell types. So IMHO its been amply demonstrated that
the conventional idea of non-ionizing radiation being unable to do harm apart
from increasing temperature, is simply wrong. The damage happens via a
secondary effect (free radical overproduction) that is independent of
temperature increase. Consider looking at this:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7920199](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7920199)

~~~
unhammer
Published by [http://oamsjournal.com/](http://oamsjournal.com/) – I'm not
panicking yet :)

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daveytea
TL;DR: "We conclude that pooled results from in vitro and in vivo studies
suggest that mobile phone exposure negatively affects sperm quality." They're
not sure if it's due to RF or heat from the device.

~~~
nevinera
No controlled study was done, so _any_ unexpected confounding factors would
invalidate the results. This type of study is nearly pointless when trying to
demonstrate a causal link.

~~~
adwf
A study without a control is barely a study at all.

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NIL8
The more pervasive wireless tech becomes, the more we need to know about it's
effects. I'd like to see more research on this. I don't know who would fund
it, though. Maybe there should be a Kickstarter that is strictly for
scientific research. Is there such a thing?

~~~
wes-exp
[https://experiment.com](https://experiment.com) (science crowdfunding)

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fasteo
As the study points out, there are many confounding variables here. Apart from
the chosen population (people going to fertility clinics), sperm quality is
heavily influenced by lifestyle (physical activity, diet, air pollution, etc).

Nevertheless, exposure to RF is for sure one additional factor to consider,
much like eating crap or spending too much time lying in a couch.

~~~
sillysaurus3
_much like eating crap or spending too much time lying in a couch._

Has it been demonstrated that these factors have had any effect on sperm
quality? Seems dubious.

~~~
DanBC
Obesity and sperm quality:
[http://www.researchgate.net/profile/William_Roudebush/public...](http://www.researchgate.net/profile/William_Roudebush/publication/240032787_Men_with_high_body_mass_index_values_present_with_lower_numbers_of_normal-
motile_sperm_cells/file/5046351c8b669e7f87.pdf). (Although whether that
affects fertility is a different question)

The link to exercise was publicised in many newspapers. Science reporting is
awful. Here's a trustworthy source that explains the recen research.
[http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/02February/Pages/exercise-
activi...](http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/02February/Pages/exercise-activity-tv-
viewing-sperm-count.aspx)

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andmarios
A bit offtopic but this is one of the best responsive sites I've seen. For
example when on mobile, the text makes a nice solid column you can't
accidentally pan except for the tables. It seems very light too on my 3 year
old android.

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sjtrny
How can they isolate RF as the cause when RF is constantly surrounding us? Did
the subjects live in shielded rooms?

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RyanMcGreal
Philip K. Dick's Ajax model Mountibank Lead Codpiece doesn't sound so
ridiculous any more.

~~~
gshubert17
Right. Robert Heinlein wrote a story (perhaps it is Waldo --1942) in which one
character wears a lead coat to protect against the risks of power distributed
by radio. What I recall is that this character is still strong and energetic
while others are weaker, though carrying around a significant weight would be
a form of strength-training, I'd think.

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senator_bix
There's a Grindr joke in here somewhere.

