John Navas <spamfilter0@navasgroup.com> hath wroth:
><http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6079782.stm>
>
> Heavy use of mobile phones may damage men's fertility, a study has
> suggested.
Oh-oh. My phone is heavier than most.
> Researchers found those men who used a phone for four hours or more a
> day had fewer sperm and those they had moved less well and were of
> poorer quality.
Sheesh. Welcome to junk science. Reading the article, what
apparently was done was interview 364 men in India and ask them how
many hours per day they used their cell phone. Of course, everyone
lied, but that's acceptable if everyone lies equally with the same
bias. The survey was also preformed at fertility clinics in India
which is a rather limited sample of the general population. They
could easily have asked what was their favorite color, and conjured a
similar worthless correlation.
> The Ohio study involving 364 men was presented to the American
> Society for Reproductive Medicine in New Orleans.
Ohio? New Orleans? From the article, I read:
The team from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio
tested the sperm of 364 men who were being treated at
fertility clinics in Mumbai, India, with their partners.
The study may have been funded and run from Ohio, but the sample came
from Mumbai, India.
> But a UK expert said it was unlikely the phones were to blame, as
> they were in use and not near the testes, and it may be being
> sedentary was the cause.
Sure? What type of person yacks on the phone for 4+ hours per day?
Probably an unemployed loafer with a sedentary lifestyle and
independent means. Busy and active people don't have time to talk
that long. Presumably, they also have an unlimited rate plan and a
lifetime supply of batteries implying that they have more money to
burn than the light users. Of course, since they have an unlimited
plan, they tend to yack more. Since they're all at a fertility
clinic, I presume they're all 20-30 years old.
I think a more appropriate headline would be: "Young, affluent and
unemployed users, with damaged sperm, tend to talk more". Or perhaps:
"Cell phones used for birth control".
Of course the traditional tag line includes "more research is
necessary" which is the standard hint that a research grant is being
solicited.
--
Jeff Liebermann
jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
150 Felker St #D
http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558