French students design radiation-proof underwear to prevent smartphones from killing sperm

Mobile phones emit radio waves, and whether the use of smartphones can cause male infertility has long been a controversial issue in the scientific community. According to a report by the British Daily Mail on December 27, experts said that smartphone radiation will not kill sperm, and the energy carried by radio waves is not enough to cause male infertility. Some French students have even designed special boxer briefs to protect men from harm.

Experts explain that X-rays and radio waves have different effects on male reproductive ability.

X-rays can damage cells and tissues because of their extremely short wavelength and high energy, but only when there is too much radiation will they kill enough sperm to cause male infertility. Radio waves have a long wavelength and carry low energy, which will not affect human cells.

Nobel Prize winner geneticist Hermann Muller proved through experiments that X-rays can damage the reproductive system, but Muller did not find that radio waves can cause infertility or gene mutations. Therefore, radio waves are not as harmful to reproductive ability as X-rays.

Other studies have shown that even with excessive X-ray radiation, infertility is usually temporary because new sperm can continue to be produced to replace dead sperm, and sperm counts will return to normal levels after a few months.

However, some scientists have warned that men who put their mobile phones in their trouser pockets or talk on the phone for more than an hour a day may have fertility problems. Studies have shown that talking on the phone while it is charging or placing the phone on the bedside table at night may reduce the number of sperm in men.

The quality of sperm in Western countries is declining, and 40% of cases have difficulty conceiving. The heat and electromagnetic radiation from mobile phones are believed to kill sperm. British fertility experts warn men of the dangers of frequent mobile phone use.

Scientists at the Israel Institute of Technology observed 106 men who participated in a fertility clinical trial for one year. The study showed that men who talked on their mobile phones for more than an hour a day were twice as likely to have low sperm quality as those who talked on their mobile phones for less than an hour; and men who talked on their mobile phones while charging were twice as likely to have fertility problems as normal men.

The study also found that 47% of men who kept their mobile phone within 50cm of their groin had their sperm levels seriously affected, compared with 11% of the general population.

The heat generated by excessive use of a mobile phone is not due to the release of radio waves but because the chemical reaction in the mobile phone battery generates heat.

The various claims that mobile phone use can suppress sperm count still need to be confirmed.

In order to prevent the decline of male fertility, a group of French students designed a special boxer shorts "Duoo Hopeful" to protect men from the harm of electromagnetic waves. The boxer shorts are made of silver fabric, which is said to disperse electromagnetic radiation and protect the important parts of men.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.