Warning to all men: Your pocket is not the best place for your cell phone.

http://www.nbr.co.nz/print/35582
Male infertility linked to cell phones
By Mitchell-Hall
Created 09/23/2008 - 16:37

NBR staff
Using a hands-free device such as Bluetooth headsets could affect your fertility if you leave your phone in your pocket next to your testes, warn US researchers in Fertility and Sterility.
WebMD reports [1] that those men who leave their cellphones in their pants, or clipped on their belt close to their gonads, may be exposing them to harmful radiofrequency electromagnetic waves.
Ashok Agarwal, PhD, warns that, “"The Bluetooth devices, which many people are using these days because of health or safety concerns, may not be always so safe. There is a downside,” he said to WebMD.
The study showed that semen exposed to harmful waves from cell phones showed higher levels of free radicals, lower sperm motility (the ability to move and swim), sperm viability (percentage of live ones) and potentially greater oxidative stress.
"Our findings appear to be in line with other concerns that environmental factors such as toxins, pollutants, and materials used in farming play a role in male infertility," Dr Agarwal said to WebMD.
However, further research is needed to validate and clarify the findings, such as the distance from the testes that are ‘safe’ or dangerous, and whether phones in silent or standby modes were also potentially dangerous.
Doctors suggest that men should not leave their phone in their pocket while talking for three or four hours a day on a hands-free device, nor should they place laptops on their laps because of the heat from the battery, and should be wary of excessive spa pool use too.
http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/male-infertility-linked-cell-phones-35582