Male fertility and its association with occupational
and mobile phone towers hazards: An analytic study
Subfertility is a failure to achieve pregnancy after one year of unprotected intercourse. It can be primary or secondary.
The period in definition may be extended to two years in young female partner and shortened to six months in older one (.
Based on statistics released by the World Health Organization(WHO), the prevalence of infertility is 10–15%. Male factors (as main cause or with female factor) are involving in 35% of all causes of infertility. Sperm analysis is an essential important diagnostic study in male subfertility diagnostic approach and usually is abnormal in subfertile men. Because medical history cannot explain all male infertility cases, these observations may be linked to a growing impact of potential occupational and environmental factors.
Environmental factors such as heat, smoking, radiation and others can effect on spermatogenesis. Based on some theories
heat generator environmental sources such as jobs which need long time sitting (like driving) can cause subfertility.
The increasing use of devices for wireless communication has given rise to fears that the radiofrequency electromagnetic
fields (RFEMFs) emitted by such devices (e.g., mobile and wireless phones) and by their respective base stations cause
various adverse health effects. The discussion about possible health effects by exposure to RF-EMF recently has shifted
toward subfertility, mainly focusing on males.
Electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by mobile cellular phones, and more recently, wi-fi network signals can affect semen analysis characteristics.
Aim of the study
1. To analyze SFA in a group of subfertile couples.
2. Those with abnormal parameters were studied for possible exposure to environmental hazard as a cause for their subfertility by comparing them with a control group who were fertile.

This study examined the association of environmental hazards with male fertility reflected by SFA. It showed that environmental hazards such as those present in the workplace or area of residence could lead to reduced semen parameters

the work hazard expressed significant difference between the subfertile and the control groups, more occupational hazards were reported in the subfertile group(38% versus 12%), odds ratio (OR)= 4.5 and Confidence Interval (CI), 2.175–9.288; p-value= 0.000, and most of them were drivers, militaries and workers. Workers (painters and
construction workers) can be exposed to a number of harmful physical, chemical and psychological factors in their working
environment. The driving hazards may include being sedentary for long periods of time, exposure to vibration and heat.

The exposure to environmental hazards shows significant difference between the subfertile and the fertile men; as higher
percentage of exposure to mobile phone tower among subfertile group, 29% versus 12% for the fertile group, OR =3; CI,
1.426–6.290; p-value= 0.003
Smoking hazard shows non-significant difference between the subfertile and the fertile men, 38% versus 32%, OR= 1.3; CI, 0.727–2.333; p > 0.05.

Seminal fluid analysis abnormalities of the subfertile males associate with environmental, occupational and smoking hazards,Occupational hazard is associated with more SFA abnormalities; with oligozoospermia by OR =1.8, 95% CI: 0.569–
5.527, and with teratozoospermia by OR=5.23, 95% CI: 0.524–52.204. Jobs that require working in hot environments or mechanical trauma and physical load on the pelvic contents can reduce semen quality. With respect to effects of exercise and vigorous physical activity, it has been demonstrated that workers are at risk for decreasing sperm count possibly due
to increasing mechanical trauma of testis and pelvic. Therefore, it seems that militaries and workers are more at risk for subfertility disorders, reduced semen quality due to specific working condition, and probably repeated physical trauma.
Exposure to environmental hazard (mobile tower within fifty meters from their house) was associated with more SFA
abnormalities (Teratozoospermia), OR= 2.6; 95% CI: 0.342–19.070. the electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted by mobile cellular phones and their base station can affect semen analysis characteristics. The pathophysiological basis for the adverse effects on spermatozoa has been elucidated as being EMR-induced increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation causing decreases in sperm vitality, while stimulating DNA base adduct formation leading, ultimately,
to DNA fragmentation, so more sperm shape abnormalities