Warning to men: Laptop heat may damage fertility

[U2democrat]

Here's the story:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6677040/

Young men warned of laptop risk

Heat could damage fertility, researcher says
Updated: 10:15 a.m. ET Dec. 9, 2004
LONDON - Teenagers and young men should keep their laptops off their laps because they could damage fertility, an expert said on Thursday.

Laptops, which reach high internal operating temperatures, can heat up the scrotum which could affect the quality and quantity of men’s sperm.

“The increase in scrotal temperature is significant enough to cause changes in sperm parameters,” said Dr Yefim Sheynkin, an associate professor of urology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Urologist, State University of New York at Stony Brook“It is very difficult to predict how long the computer can be used safely,” he told Reuters. “It may not be at all, if the testicular temperature goes up high within a very short period of time.”

Adolescents and young men who use laptops several times a day over many years face the greatest risk. Sheynkin fears that if laptop use is not curtailed, in 15-20 years when they want to start a family the men could face problems.

“Long-term use may have a detrimental effect on their reproductive health,” he said.

Beware laptop burn
Sheynkin and his team studied the impact of using a laptop on 29 healthy volunteers between the age of 21-35 by measuring scrotal temperature before and after they used a computer on their lap.

The research is reported in the journal Human Reproduction.

Even without turning the laptop on, the scrotal temperature rose by 2.1 degrees Centigrade when the young men sat with their thighs together to balance the computer on their lap.

When they switched it on the temperature rose -- by 2.8 degrees C on the right side and 2.6 degrees C on the left.

“It shows that scrotal hyperthermia is produced by both special body posture and the local heating effect of laptop computers,” Sheynkin said.

A serious case of laptop burn was reported in a letter published in a medical journal two years ago after a 50-year-old man burned his penis while using a laptop balanced on his legs for an hour, despite wearing trousers and underpants.

The researchers used two different brands of computers in the study.

“All laptop computers generate significant heat due to the increasing power requirements of computer chips. New laptops with higher power requirements may produce even more heat,” Sheynkin added.

That sucks.

 

[dandy]

A serious case of laptop burn was reported in a letter published in a medical journal two years ago after a 50-year-old man burned his penis while using a laptop balanced on his legs for an hour, despite wearing trousers and underpants.

 

[U2democrat]

 

[DrTeeth]

It's good to have a desktop!

 

[Rono]

Laptop dancing

 

[pax]

You know, I've worried about this myself when I've worked on my laptop...and I'm a girl.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

I have to admit I laughed when I heard this story on the news last night.

 

[UnforgettableLemon]

 

[deep]

that's why i use "protection"

when i surf the net


you can't be too careful

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[U2girl]

Erm, if I'm not mistaken, did not both Bono and Edge use laptops from Apple?
I think I saw some pictures from Zooropa period.

Sure didn't hurt them

 

[Mr. BAW]

During the 1980's, I was one of those typical motorcops; you know the picture, hiding alongside the roadway, radar gun in my right hand, perched on my lap just waiting for you to come flying by so I could point it at you...

Imagine my shock, when years later, OSHA.gov made this announcement:


OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE OF POLICE OFFICERS TO MICROWAVE RADIATION FROM TRAFFIC RADAR DEVICES

Its true! many officers from my generation have suffered from testicular cancers related to occupational situations, to wit: radar guns....

Despite the fact that I wrote anywhere between 20 to 30 tickets a day, 4 10-hour days a week, for the 3 years that I was on that motor, I escaped unscathed...

You can find this story; just enter Radar Gun Testicular Cancer into your search engine and it will lead to the OSHA site.....

 

[alexvilagosh]

Ah dammit...

 

[U2democrat]

 

[dandy]

 

[Nate Dogg]

Toasted Nuts.

 

[U2democrat]