Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields; male infertility and sex ratio of offspring

Abstract

Concern is growing about exposure to electromagnetic fields and male reproductive health. The authors performed a cross-sectional study among military men employed in the Royal Norwegian Navy, including information about work close to equipment emitting radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, one-year infertility, children and sex of the offspring. Among 10,497 respondents, 22% had worked close to high-frequency aerials to a "high" or "very high" degree. Infertility increased significantly along with increasing self-reported exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. In a logistic regression, odds ratio (OR) for infertility among those who had worked closer than 10 m from high-frequency aerials to a "very high" degree relative to those who reported no work near high-frequency aerials was 1.86 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.46-2.37), adjusted for age, smoking habits, alcohol consumption and exposure to organic solvents, welding and lead. Similar adjusted OR for those exposed to a "high", "some" and "low" degree were 1.93 (95% CI: 1.55-2.40), 1.52 (95% CI: 1.25-1.84), and 1.39 (95% CI: 1.15-1.68), respectively. In all age groups there were significant linear trends with higher prevalence of involuntary childlessness with higher self-reported exposure to radiofrequency fields. However, the degree of exposure to radiofrequency radiation and the number of children were not associated. For self-reported exposure both to high-frequency aerials and communication equipment there were significant linear trends with lower ratio of boys to girls at birth when the father reported a higher degree of radiofrequency electromagnetic exposure.

Histological and Cytological Examination of Rat Reproductive Tissue After Short-Time Intermittent Radiofrequency Exposure

“…As for data on humans, several reports point to unfavourable effects of RF exposure on male fertility (18,19), while others contradict them (20). One study on humans (21) suggested that the duration of phone possession and daily transmission time correlated negatively with the proportion of rapid progressive motile sperm and positively with the proportion of slow progressive motile sperm.…”

900 MHz pulse-modulated radiofrequency radiation induces oxidative stress on heart, lung, testis and liver tissue

“…There is strong clinical evidence that men diagnosed with infertility have significantly higher levels of ROS (Pasqualotto et al 2000). Some of the reports have suggested a possible linkage between mobile phone usage and male infertility (Baste et al 2008). Decreased sperm count and capacity of quails were reported by McRee et al (1983) as a result of MW exposure.…”

Mobile Phone Electromagnetic Waves and Its Effect on Human Ejaculated Semen: An in vitro Study

“…2 Many studies have examined the relationship of cell phone use and its effect on semen parameters and concluded that mobile phone use may cause a decrease in fertility. [3][4][5][6] To investigate the effects of cell phone radiation on semen parameters in human requires an in vivo exposure study which is not feasible, owing to ethical issues. Various in vitro studies using animal models have consistently demonstrated oxidative stress in different tissues (kidney, endometrium, eye, testis, brain, myocardial tissue and so on) in response to cell phone radiation.…”