Laptop WiFi May Damage Sperm..Study

Extended use of laptop by placing it on the lap can damage male sperms, according to a new study published in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility.


For the study, scientists from the US and Argentina exposed sperms taken from 29 men to electromagnetic radiation (that came from the laptop) for four hours. Results revealed that after four hours of exposure, the sperm decreased its motility and deveoloped DNA damage.


Furthermore, about 25 percent of sperm stopped moving by virtue of closer exposure to laptop's Wifi radiation; but, when the laptop was kept away, only 14 percent of the sperm stopped moving.


Researchers also found out that DNA of the sperm with nine percent of exposure to radiation developed DNA damage. The damages caused are three times greater than the damage caused from sperm that are not exposed to radiation.


Researchers, however, reported that the results speculate that by keeping a laptop connected to wireless internet near testes or on lap, can significantly reduce male fertility. They also said that more vitro and in vivo future studies are needed to prove the connection between WIFI radiations and damage to the sperm.


In addition to sperm damage, the heat and radiation from the laptop can lead to a problem known as ‘toasted skin syndrome’. This condition puts you at a risk of skin cancer by giving rise to damaged and discoloured skin, reported by CBS News.


The experiment undertaken by the American and Argentinian team also showed that sperm were inactive i.e. they swam less frequently and had irreversible changes in the genetic code.



The findings of the study are questionable as the study is based on the semen taken from a man’s body. Real life setting could have given more back-up to the findings.