Study shows harm WiFi does to human sperm

A new study shows the harm WiFi does to human sperm. Exposure to WiFi means greater risk of male infertility as more sperm die and are left immobile and ineffective.

Fifty-one men took part in the Japanese study in 2018. They had been involved in the IVF clinic at the research centre. Sperm samples were placed near a small router, simulating a mobile phone in a man’s pocket at a similar distance. The sperm was exposed for half an hour, an hour, two hours, and twenty-four hours.

The sperm was then tested for motility. Sperm motility is how well sperm moves. Only sperm that swims in a strong, forward motion are capable of fertilising an egg. Any reduction in sperm motility makes conception that much less likely.

The results were alarming for anyone who keeps their phone on their body for two hours or more.

Three groups of sperm were used in the study carried out by Researcher Kumiko Nakata, Head of the Research Division, Reproductive Medicine Research Centre, Yamashita Shonan Yume Clinic. A control group which was not exposed, a group that used shielding along with the exposure, and a group which was freely exposed.

Differences emerged at the two-hour mark. The control group had a motility of 53 per cent and the shield group of 44 per cent, but the exposed group was just 29 per cent.

By twenty-four hours 8 per cent of the control group sperm was dead, 18 per cent of the shielded group was dead, and 23 per cent of the exposed group was dead.

The electromagnetic waves created and used by WiFi technology has been shown in many studies to pass through the body and damage cells and DNA. Sperm are very vulnerable to environmental changes.

WiFi networks are incredibly widespread and only getting more so. Meanwhile, male fertility is dropping at an alarming rate. The connection receives very little attention and little study while the expansion of 5G mobile phone networks and WiFi continues unabated. Long term understanding of the effects are impossible as the technology is so new.

What of the shielded group in the study? They were using a small WiFi shield that intercepted the electromagnetic rays. This anti-radiation shielding has a well-established scientific principle at its core – the Faraday cage.

This is the basis of the WaveWall range of anti-radiation shielding products for phones and laptops. WaveWall blocks up to 85 per cent of electromagnetic radiation from reaching the body.

Managing Director Harry Gardiner said, “We urgently need further research into the effects of WiFi and mobile phones on male fertility, as well as evidence reviews carried out by governments.”

Staff Writer