EMFs and reproduction problems

Alasdair and Jean Philips

The Adverse Effects of Electromagnetic fields on Reproduction

As many as one in five healthy young men between the ages of 18 and ! produce abnormal sperm counts" #nly ! to 1!$ of their sperm is good enough to be classed as %normal% under &orld 'ealth organisation rules( proving that infertility is not )ust a female problem" *ndeed( among those e+periencing difficulty with conception( a male fertility problem is considered important in about ,-$ of couples" .ut women trying to get pregnant are facing another claim( that the core problems of male fertility start in the womb" /here is a %window% of testicular development that begins in the growing foetus and ends in the first 0 months after birth" Problems during this time may mean that the baby boy may not be able to produce children" Electromagnetic fields 1EMFs2 are produced by the distribution and use of electricity 1low fre3uency2 and mobile telephone and wireless technology 1high fre3uency( radiofre3uency or microwaves2" /here has been increasing concern that EMFs are not as safe as they were first thought to be" E+posure limits were put in place by the government to prevent us getting electric shoc4s( or being coo4ed" 5o ac4nowledgement by the regulators has been made that health effects are possible from very low levels of e+posure" 'owever( in 1676 &ertheimer 8 9eeper showed an association between very low levels of magnetic fields and an increased ris4 of developing childhood leu4aemia" :ince then( most scientists have 3uestioned the limits set by the government as being too high and( increasingly( research is showing that there are significant health effects at low levels of electromagnetic fields 1EMFs2" *n this article we concentrate on the effects of low and high fre3uency EMFs on reproduction" &e summarise some of the research findings below" /he research situation changes fre3uently( so this is )ust a %snapshot% in time as at #ctober -11" &hy should EMFs affect the movement of sperm; #ne study points to a possible e+planation" 9ish4o 1 -1-2 showed that human sperm move to the egg in an electrically created pathway" /his may well be affected by e+ternal EMFs" Mice( often used as e+perimental sub)ects have much larger sperm 1relatively spea4ing2 than humans( so they may not be affected as much( and could e+plain some of the different laboratory findings" #ne paper discussed the effect on growing foetuses of e+posure to high and low fre3uency electromagnetic fields without differentiation between them" &illiams 8 Fletcher 1 -1-2 concluded that The fetus is most susceptible to radiation during organogenesis (2-7 weeks after conception) and in the early fetal period (8-1 weeks after conception)! "oncancer health effects ha#e not been detected at any stage of gestation after e$posure to ioni%ing radiation of less than &!& 'y ( rad)! (pontaneous abortion) growth restriction) and mental retardation may occur at higher e$posure le#els!*

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EMFs and reproduction problems

Alasdair and Jean Philips

Radiofrequency (microwave) (RF) exposure and reproductive effects

Mobile phones or phone-type exposure and male sperm :perm counts in <= men have fallen by 6$ in the last decade" Mobile phones have been used( increasingly( in the last decade and a half" *n the annual meeting of the American :ociety for >eproductive Medicine as early as #ctober --0( <: researchers and doctors in Mumbai( *ndia( reported that the more men used a mobile phone( the worse their sperm count and the poorer the 3uality of their sperm would be( also reported in the research by Agarwal 1 --82 and Fal?one 1 -112" <sing the phone for more than , hours a day caused a !$ drop in the number of sperm produced and only -$ of these loo4ed normal" *n a study of males attending an infertility clinic in Poland( &dowia4 1 --72 found an increase in the percentage of sperm cells of abnormal structure and a decrease in sperm movement associated with the duration of e+posure to mobile phone radiation" *n a study by Mailan4ot 1 --62( rats e+posed to mobile phones emissions for 1 hour a day for 8 days had impaired semen 3uality and the authors believed this may impair male fertility" @eli4 1 -1 2 found no significant changes after A months in the testes parameters they investigated" /hey did conclude that because of the changes observed( significant changes may occur if the study period were to be e+tended" A study by 9u4ac 1 -112 indicated a negative timeBdependent effect of 18-- M'? >FBEM& radiation on bovine spermato?oa motility" Although we cannot assume that what happens to animals in a laboratory e+periment( will also happen to human beings living their normal lives( rat biology is surprisingly similar in many ways to human" *f the same thing is true for human beings( it may well be worth while considering ta4ing precautions in case" :perm head abnormalities were found as a result of e+posure from mobile phone base stations 1#titolo)u -1-2" /he effects were doseBdependent" /wo studies loo4ing at occupational e+posure to >F in the 5orwegian navy 1MCllerlC44en --8( .aste --82 showed an increased ris4 of infertility in men e+posed to radiofre3uency fieldsD the higher the e+posure( the greater the ris4 for infertility" &here children were born to e+posed men( there were a greater number of girls born than boys" &e cannot recommend that men carry a phone in their front trouser poc4ets" Fe)es 1 --!2( Ait4en 1 --!2( Erogul 1 --02( Ean 1 --72( Agarwal 1 --8( --62 and Fal?one 1 --82 concluded that usage of mobile phones( e+posure to mobile phone signals( or storage of a mobile phone close to the testes affected sperm counts( movement( viability and structure" +n addition to these acute ad#erse effects of electromagnetic radiation (,-.) on sperm motility) long-term ,-. e$posure may lead to beha#ioural or structural changes of the male germ cell! These effects may be obser#ed later in life) and they are to be in#estigated more seriously!*

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EMFs and reproduction problems

Alasdair and Jean Philips

/he graph on the left is ta4en from a study by @ = @hou 1from an article in @hinese2" *t shows clearly that the effect of microwave e+posure on sperm persists for a considerable time( not )ust for the duration of the e+posure"

Fe *uliis 1 --62 found not only changes in movement and vitality of human spermato?oa e+posed to radiofre3uency EMFs( but also F5A fragmentation" Avendano 1 -1 2 also found these effects on in vitro samples of sperm e+posed for , hours to a wireless internetBconnected laptop" @hanges in F5A may not only affect any children born after such a change( F5A changes can be inheritable( and the changes may affect future generations in ways that are completely unpredictable" :uch fragmentation is not always found 1#gawa --6( :ommer --62" A review of the studies by Fesai 1 --62 concluded that >F EMFs from mobile phones might affect the fertilising potential of sperm" Fructose is an important component in semen that facilitates sperm movement" A significant drop in fructose levels was observed in rabbits e+posed to pulsed radio fre3uency emitted by a mobile phone 4ept in the standby position( affecting sperm motility 1:alama --62" Another study 1:alama -1-2 showed that standby signals could affect testicular function and structure( although some of the results could do with careful chec4ing( as there seem some odd claims" /he team also found changes in se+ual behaviour including e)aculatory success 1:alama -1-2" =esari 1 -112 found many changes in fertility patterns following mobile phone e+posure( which seemed to arise as a result of increased reactive o+ygen species 1>#:2" 'owever( research does not always find evidence of effects" *n a study by >ibeiro 1 --72( rats e+posed to G:M phone radiation at )ust over 18-- M'? showed no changes in testicular function( neither were there effects on rat spermatogenesis found by 9ee 1 -112 as a result of @FMA and &@FMA e+posure simultaneously combined" *n view of the fact that foetal testicular development occurs in the first 0 months of pregnancy( it may be worth pregnant women being very careful where they carry a mobile when not in use" Radiofrequency exposure and effects on ovaries Gul 1 --62 found that intrauterine e+posure to >F radiation had a to+ic effect on rat ovaries( and concluded that the microwa#es of mobile phones might decrease the number of follicles in rats by se#eral known and) no doubt) countless unknown mechanisms!* A @hinese study 1Hu --62 showed to+ic changes to female rats% reproductive organs with e+posure to >F radiation" 'owever( the fre3uency 1A- M'?2 used e+perimentally is li4ely to be from military radar and uncommonly encountered( and at signal levels where an individual( to be e+posed( would have to be wor4ing nearby( or in the main beam"

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EMFs and reproduction problems

Alasdair and Jean Philips

Radiofrequency exposure and effects during pregnancy Pregnant physiotherapists( who are e+posed to microwaves as a result of their occupation( had an increased ris4 of miscarriage in a study by #uelletB'ellstrom 8 :tewart 1166A2" /he microwave levels in the study were not particularly high and are similar to those which will be found in many places near mobile phone base stations and in homes and wor4places with FE@/ phones or &iFi systems" 'an 1 -1-2 found that watching /I and using a mobile phone during the first A months of pregnancy may increase the ris4 of embryo growth ceasing significantly( in particular for highB ris4 pregnant women with embryoBgrowth ceasing history" 9ee 1 --62 found that a combined e+posure to @FMA and &@FMA >F had no effect on developing mouse foetuses" :ome laboratory e+periments use creatures further away on the evolutionary ladder from us than rats" /his may ma4e the e+periments nonBcomparable to human e+perienceD but the fact that there is a change at all in the biology of living systems may give us pause for thought" Fe Pomerai found changes in growth rate and maturation in the reproductive stage of nematode worms( when the larvae were e+posed to wea4 microwave fields 1 -- 2( and in an e+periment on flies( Fr >eba Goodman of @olombia <niversity found that hours mobile phone e+posure for 1days caused significant changes in reproductive genes and cell division 1.lan4 8 Goodman 16672" General reproductive effects /rying to identify what may be the cause of the effect on reproductive organs or gestation can be difficult( as it may be more comple+ than some of the studies allow for which may be one of the reasons why there are conflicting findings" PanagopoulosJ team 1 --72 found that when loo4ing at the reproductive capacity of flies( 6-M'? radiation was more bioactive than 18-- M'?" *t is interesting that the e+periment included only head e+posure" *t may be that positioning the radiating source nearer to gonads may have had a different effect( e+plaining some of the conflicting findings in different studies"

Powerfrequency exposure and reproductive problems

Powerfrequency exposure and male sperm A study by 9i 1 -1-2 found that men who are e+posed to levels of magnetic fields of only -"10 microtesla 1K/2 for si+ or more hours a day were four times as li4ely to have substandard sperm" @ompromised sperm function leading to a reduction in fertili?ation rate in boars 1.ernabL -1-2 and rabbits 1>oychoudhury 1 --62 and mice 1de .ruyn -1-2 were found when they were e+posed to low fre3uency electromagnetic fields" =im 1 --62 found cell apoptosis 1cell death2 in mouse testicular germ cells from e+posure to 1,K/ 0- '? magnetic fields" /his is a long way above typical chronic bac4ground e+posure( but is also considerably below the guidance levels allowed in the <=" 9ee had found the same effect at lower field levels 1 --,2" Mhang%s results 1 --62 indicate that testicle tissues are damaged by longB term e+posure to E9F electromagnetic fields" 'eat is 4nown to damage sperm and reduce fertility" *t is worth avoiding the use of saunas and electric blan4ets if you are a wouldBbe father" /hese may also emit powerfre3uency radiation( so there could be a synergistic effect" *t has also been lin4ed to subse3uent child%s ris4 of brain
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EMFs and reproduction problems

Alasdair and Jean Philips

tumours 1.unin --02" 'eat damages the genetic material within sperm( which means cancerB causing genetic mutations are passed on to any offspring" #ne study by *orio 1 -1-2 found that e+posure to E9F EMFs improved sperm motility( suggesting that the stimulatory effect was due to mitochondrial o+idative phosphorylation( Miscarriage, foetal damage, and other findings /wo surveys carried out in :to4e on /rent( near two different highBvoltage powerlines found highly significant lin4s between pro+imity to the powerlines and the incidence of miscarriage" FB= 9i 1 -- 2 and 9ee 1 -- 2 found that e+posure to EMFs during pregnancy was lin4ed to an increased ris4 of miscarriage" 9eeJs study found that the lin4 was especially strong where there were high NtransientJ fields( that is( where field levels changed rapidly in a short period of time" /his type of e+posure can happen in e"g" electric train travelD wor4ing near or passing through antiBtheft pillars in shops( etc" A4sen 1 --02 found changes in the ovary and uterus after e+posure to EMFs for over !- days" E+periments with mice by 'ong 1 --A2 and @ao 1 --02 found that low fre3uency EMF e+posure had some adverse effects on reproduction( including miscarriage( foetal loss and malformation and developmental delay in the offspring" A study by @ech 1 --72 demonstrated( modelling a woman at A- wee4s pregnancy( that foetal exposure could exceed *@5*>P guidelines( when the mothers exposure was below them" /hey suggested that a revision of reference levels might be necessary" /hey were not loo4ing at potential specific health outcomes( but it may be that these high levels could shed light on some of the findings of other studies" .orhani 1 -112 found that EMF e+posure in the preimplantation stage in pregnant mice could have detrimental effects on female mouse fertility and embryo development" References Agarwal A et al --6 O ,ffects of radiofre/uency electromagnetic wa#es (.0-,-1) from cellular phones on human e2aculated semen3 an in #itro pilot study Fertil :teril 6 1,2P1A18B ! PM*FP 188-,7!7 Agarwal A et al --8 O ,ffect of cell phone usage on semen analysis in men attending infertility clinic3 an obser#ational study Fertil :teril 86112P1 ,B8 PM*FP 17,8 176 Aitken RJ et al --! O +mpact of radiofre/uency electromagnetic radiation on 4"5 integrity in the male germline *nt J Androl 81A2P 171B6 PM*FP 1!61-!,A Aksen F et al --0 B ,ffect of &-6% 1-mT magnetic field on the uterus and o#aries of rats (electron microscopy e#aluation) Med :ci Monit 1 102P.> 1!B - PM*FP 107AA,76 Avendano C et al -1 B 7se of laptop computers connected to internet through 1i-0i decreases human sperm motility and increases sperm 4"5 fragmentation Fertil :teril 67112PA6B,! PM*FP 11 0,7 Baste V et al --8 O .adiofre/uency electromagnetic fields8 male infertility and se$ ratio of offspring Eur J Epidemiol A1!2PA06B77 PM*FP 18,1!087 Bernab N et al -1- O ,$tremely low fre/uency electromagnetic field e$posure affects fertili%ation outcome in swine animal model /heriogenology 7A162P1 6ABA-! PM*FP -170A67

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EMFs and reproduction problems

Alasdair and Jean Philips

Blank M and R Goodman 1667 B 4o electromagnetic fields interact directly with 4"59 .ioelectromagnetics 18P 111B11! PM*FP 6-8,801 Borhani N et al -11 B 5nalysis of 4"5 fragmentation in mouse embryos e$posed to an e$tremely lowfre/uency electromagnetic field Electromagn .iol Med A-1,2P ,0B! PM*FP -,7,0 Bunin GR et al --0 O :arental heat e$posure and risk of childhood brain tumor3 a ;hildren<s =ncology 'roup study Am J Epidemiol 10,1A2P BA1 PM*FP 1077!-,, Cao YN et al --0 B ,ffects of e$posure to e$tremely low fre/uency electromagnetic fields on reproduction of female mice and de#elopment of offsprings Mhonghua 9ao Fong &ei :heng Mhi Ee .ing Ma Mhi ,182P,08B7Ce h R et al --7 B 0etal e$posure to low fre/uency electric and magnetic fields Phys Med .iol ! 1,2P876B88 Celik ! et al -1 B 5n ,#aluation of the ,ffects of >ong-term ;ell :hone 7se on the Testes ?ia >ight and ,lectron -icroscope 5nalysis <rology 761 2PA,0B!- PM*FP 160,1 "e Bru#n $ % $ de Jager -1- O ,ffect of long-term e$posure to a randomly #aried & 6% power fre/uency magnetic field on the fertility of the mouse Electromagn .iol Med 611B 2P! B01 "e &uliis GN et al --6 O -obile phone radiation induces reacti#e o$ygen species production and 4"5 damage in human spermato%oa in #itro Plo: #ne ,172Pe0,,0 "e 'omerai " et al -- B 'rowth and maturation of the nematode c!elegans following e$posure to weak microwa#e fields( En?yme and Microbial /echnology A-D pp 7AB76" /his paper was subse3uently withdrawn" "esai NR --6 B :athophysiology of cell phone radiation3 o$idati#e stress and carcinogenesis with focus on male reproducti#e system >eprod .iol Endocrinol D7P11, PM*FP 168,68!A (rogul ) et al --0 B ,ffects of electromagnetic radiation from a cellular phone on human sperm motility3 an in #itro study Arch Med >esearch --0 #ctDA7172P8,-BA" Fal*one N et al -11 O The effect of pulsed @&&--6% '(- mobile phone radiation on the acrosome reaction) head morphometry and and %ona binding of human spermato%oa *nt J Androl A,112P -B0 PM*FP - A0A07 Fal*one N et al --8 O +n #itro effect of pulsed @&& -6% '(- radiation on mitochondrial membrane potential and motility of human spermato%oa .ioelectromagnetics 61,2P 08B70 Fe+es & et al --! O +s there a relationship between cell phone use and semen /uality9 Arch Androl !11!2P A8!B6A Gul A et al --6 O The effects of microwa#e emitted by cellular phones on o#arian follicles in rats Arch Gynecol #bstet 8-1!2P7 6BAA ,an J et al -1- O A,ffect of early pregnancy electromagnetic field e$posure on embryo growth ceasingB &ei :heng Ean Jiu A61A2PA,6B! ,ong R et al --A B A,ffects of e$tremely low fre/uency electromagnetic fields on male reproduction in mice B article in @hineseQ Mhonghua 9ao Fong &ei :heng Mhi Ee .ing Ma Mhi 11!2P A, B! &orio R et al -11 B +n#ol#ement of mitochondrial acti#ity in mediating ,>0-,-0 stimulatory effect on human sperm motility .ioelectromagnetics A 112P1!B 7 PM*FP -06-1-7 -esari -- et al -11 O ,ffects of radiofre/uency electromagnetic wa#e e$posure from cellular phones on the reproducti#e pattern in male wistar rats Appl .iochem .iotechnol 10,1,2P!,0B!6
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EMFs and reproduction problems

Alasdair and Jean Philips

-im Y. et al --6 B ,ffects of C& 6% 1D microT magnetic field on the apotosis of testicular germ cell in mice .ioelectromagnetics A-112P00B7 $ee GM et al -- O 5 nested case-control study of residential and personal magnetic field measures and miscarriages Epidemiology 1A112P 1BA1 $ee ,J et al -11 B The effects of simultaneous combined e$posure to ;4-5 and 1;4-5 electromagnetic fields on rat testicular function .ioelectromagnetics #ct 16" doiP 1-"1-- Rbem" -71!" SEpub ahead of printQ PM*FP -1 !!0 $ee ,J et al --6 B >ack of teratogenicity after combined e$posure of pregnant mice to ;4-5 and 1;4-5 radiofre/uency electromagnetic fields >adiat >es 17 1!2P0,8B! PM*FP 1688A A, $ee J! et al --, O ,ffects of C& 6% electromagnetic field e$posure on testicular germ cell apoptosis in mice Asian J Androl 0112P 6BA, $i "- et al -1- O ,$posure to magnetic fields and the risk of poor sperm /uality >eprod /o+icol 6112P80B6 $i "- et al -- O 5 population-based prospecti#e cohort study of personal e$posure to magnetic fields during pregnancy and the risk of miscarriage Epidemiology 1A112P6B $ishko 'V et al -1- O 5cid ,$trusion from 6uman (permato%oa is mediated by 0lagellar ?oltage-'ated :roton ;hannel @ell 1,-1A2PA 7BAA7 $uka N et al -11 B +n #itro effects of radiofre/uency electromagnetic wa#es on bo#ine spermato%oa motility J Environ :ci 'ealth A /o+ 'a?ard :ubst Environ Eng ,011 2P1,17B A PM*FP 16, A6! Mailankot M et al --6 B .adio fre/uency electromagnetic radiation (.0-,-.) from '(- (&!@E1!8'6%) mobile phones induces o$idati#e stress and reduces sperm motility in rats @linics 1:ao Paulo2 0,102P!01B! M/llerl/kken )J % B( Moen --8 O +s fertility reduced among men e$posed to radiofre/uency fields in the "orwegian "a#y9 .ioelectromagnetics 61!2PA,!B! )gawa - et al --6 O ,ffects of gestational e$posure to 1!@ -'6% 1-;4-5 signals for +-T-2&&& cellular phones3 >ack of embryoto$icity and teratogenicity in rats .ioelectromagnetics A-1A2P -!B1 )titolo+u AA et al -1- B :reliminary study on the induction of sperm head abnormalities in mice) -us musculus) e$posed to radiofre/uency radiations from global system for mobile communication base stations .ull Environ @ontam /o+icol 8,112P!1B, PM*FP 168100,7 )uellet0,ellstrom R % . F !tewart 166A B Miscarriages among female physical therapists who report using radioB and microwaveBfre3uency electromagnetic radiation AJE 1A811-2P 77!B80 'anago1oulos "J et al --7 O ;omparison of bioacti#ity between '(- @&& -6% and 4;( 18&& -6% mobile telephony radiation Electromagn .iol Med 0112PAAB,, Ribeiro (' et al --7 O ,ffects of subchronic e$posure to radio fre/uency from a con#entional cellular telephone on testicular function in adult rats /he Journal of <rology 177112P A6!BA66 Ro# houdhur# ! et al --6 O +nfluence of a & h% e$tra low fre/uency electromagnetic field on spermato%oa motility and fertili%ation rates in rabbits J Environ :ci 'ealth A /o+ 'a?ard :ubst Environ Eng ,,11-2P1-,1B7 !alama N et al -1- B ,ffects of e$posure to a mobile phone on se$ual beha#ior in adult male rabbit3 an obser#ational study *nt J *mpot >es 1 2P1 7BAA !alama N et al -1- O ,ffects of e$posure to a mobile phone on testicular function and structure in adult rabbit *nt J Androl AA112P88B6,
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EMFs and reproduction problems

Alasdair and Jean Philips

!alama N et al --6 O The mobile phone decreases fructose but not citrate in rabbit semen3 a longitudinal study :yst .iol >eprod Med !!1!B02P181B7 !ommer AM et al --6 B ,ffects of .adiofre/uency ,lectromagnetic 0ields (7-T() on .eproduction and 4e#elopment of -ice3 5 -ulti-generation (tudy( >adiat >es 171112P86B6! .dowiak A et al --7 O ,#aluation of the effect of using mobile phones on male fertility Ann Agric Environ Med 1,112P106B7 &illiams PM 8 : Fletcher -1- O health effects of prenatal radiation e$posure Am Fam Physician 8 1!2P ,88B6A 2u Y3 et al --6 O 0emale genital to$icities of high-fre/uency electromagnetic field on rats Mhonghua 9ao Fong &ei :heng Mhi Ee .ing Ma Mhi 7162P!,,B8 Yan JG et al --7 O ,ffects of cellular phone emissions on sperm motility in rats Fertil :teril 881,2P6!7B0, 4hang A et al --6 O (tudy on testicle tissue of rats in e$tremely low fre/uency electromagnetic fields :heng &u Ei Hue Gong @heng Hue Ma Mhi 01 2P ,8B!

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