Prof. Ganiyu Arinola, a Senior
Lecturer of Immunology at the University of Ibadan, has said cell-phone
radiation might likely cause male infertility.
Arinola, the Head of Department
of Chemical Pathology, University College Hospital (UCH), told the interview
with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that there had been a public attention on
the issue.
The attention focused on safety
radiations from laptops on laps and cell- phones on belts and in pockets, and
on sperm damage.
“This growing body of concern
calls for special focus considering the fact that infertility had been reported
to affect certain percentages of couples of reproductive age.
“It is worthy of note that nearly
half of these percentages have been linked to male infertility.
“It must be borne in mind that
other factors, including exposure to certain environmental pollutants,
lifestyle, occupation or infections of the urinary genital tract have been
linked with infertility of the male.
“Cell -phone in pockets or in
belts, is recently proposed to be the cause of infertility, especially in the
males, “ he said.
Arinola said that there had been
studies carried out using various methodologies linking cell- phones radiation
to male infertility and different results were produced.
According to the immunologist,
opinions differed as to the possible mechanism by which cell-phones radiation
might produce these changes in the short time of putting cell -phones in the
male pockets.
“Radiation from cell phones is
said to affect sperm structure, mobility/movement, number, vitality or being
alive for expected length of time and in time.
“But it is known that millions of
sperm cells are released during mating and only one sperm is needed to
fertilise the egg of the female.
“The likelihood is that all the
sperms might not be damaged at the same time and in the short time of putting
cell-phones in the pocket.
“This brings to where men place
or keep cell-phones. Men put cell=phones I the pockets of shirts or suits, car
saves, on belts or hands which are not in direct contact with testis sac.
“Thus human body, such as layers
of skin, bone and tissue offer protection from direct radiation from
cell-phone.
“More so, sperm releases by males
are surrounded by fluids which provide a nutritive and protective medium for
spermatozoa during their journey through the female reproductive tract.
“The normal environment of the
vagina is acidic (from microflora producing lactic acid) viscous and patrolled
by immune cells.
“All the same, reason of sperm
damage was suggested to be the production of “toxic” or reactive oxygen species
by radiation from cell-phones,” he said.
Arinola further explained that
the reactive oxygen species are particularly harmful to living cells and
proteinous substances which our body sperm cells and supporting materials are
made-up of.
According to him, the production
of oxygen species by cell-phone radiation raises the possibility, that
cell-phone radiation as a result of careless placements and long term use could
be contributing to sperm damage and therefore demand further investigation.
“Based on the proposed health
risks from cell-phone radiation, it is advised that simple, precautionary
safe-cell-phone-habits be practiced in order to protect health and fertility.
“Men, in particular should avoid
carrying a cell-phone on the belt, in pockets of trousers when in use. This is
a wake-up call to male cell-phone users who are trying to have children in the
future.
“Therefore, users of cell-phones
are advised to be cautious of duration of phone possession, frequency of daily
use, length of use and where they are kept,” he said.
(NAN)
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