Media Release, Tuesday 30 April 2019


Mounting evidence of harmful effects of WiFi router electromagnetic waves on sperm


A new study has provided further evidence that electromagnetic waves from WiFi devices can have a detrimental effect on human sperm.


The outcome adds weight to concerns that the explosive spread of mobile telephones and other devices relying on WiFi connection may be contributing to declining fertility rates in developed countries.


The Japanese study, believed to be the first to trial a WiFi shield to help protect sperm from the effects of electromagnetic waves, will be reported at the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE 2019) Congress in Hong Kong this week.


Researcher Kumiko Nakata, Head of the Research Division, *Reproductive Medicine Research Centre, Yamashita Shonan Yume Clinic, said 51 male patients at the clinic participated in the study from August to November 2018.


Each of the men, whose average age was 38.4 years, were involved in IVF or artificial insemination procedures at the clinic.


Sperm samples were taken from the men and they were divided into three groups:

– a control group whose sperm samples were not exposed to EM waves from the WiFi router;

– a group whose sperm was protected by a small WiFi shield that intercepts electromagnetic waves (EM), and

– a group whose sperm was exposed to the EM waves.


Kumiko Nakata, whose research focus is on embryology and spermatology, said sperm samples from participants were placed near a pocket WiFi router similar to how a mobile phone would be carried in a man’s trousers.


Exposure to EM waves from the WiFi router occurred over periods of 30 minutes, 60 minutes, two hours and 24 hours, after which sperm motion was accurately tested using an advanced sperm motility analysis system.


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Kumiko Nakata said: “After 30 minutes activation of EM waves, the motility rate of the control and shield group was 87 per cent, while that of the exposed group was 88 per cent.


“After 60 minutes, there was also little difference in the sperm motility rates across the three groups. However, after two hours activation of EM waves, the motility rate of the control group was 53.3 per cent, the shield group was 44.9 per cent, and the exposed group was much lower at 26.4 per cent.


“After 24 hours, the dead sperm rate of the control group was 8.4 per cent, the shield group was 18.2 per cent, and exposed group was 23.3 per cent, the latter being significantly higher.


“This indicates EM waves from a portable WiFi router decreases the motile rate and increases the death rate of human sperm.


“Recently, the decrease in fecundity in developed countries has been a matter of great concern. EM waves are said to be safe, but the shower of them caused by WiFi devices may be a contributing factor to the declining fertility trend.


“Our study has shown that over a relatively short time, a WiFi shield can offer some protection from the harmful effects of the EM waves. However, there is mounting evidence that the effects of EM waves on sperm may be having a significant effect on human reproduction.”


The ASPIRE Congress will also be addressed by other speakers raising concerns about declining male fertility over the past four decades.


The World Health Organisation predicts infertility among males and females will be the third most serious condition after cancer and cardiovascular diseases in the 21st century.  In the Asia Pacific region of four billion people, representing about 60 per cent of the global population, the ramifications of this forecast are enormous.


The ASPIRE 2019 Congress will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from May 2 to 5.


* The research to be presented at the Congress by Kumiko Nakata is the result of collaboration between the Reproductive Medicine Research Centre at Yamashita Shonan Yume Clinic and the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Yamanashi.








本周在香港举行的亚太生殖医学会议（ASPIRE 2019）上将报告一项由日本展开的研究，此研究首次试用WiFi防护以保护精子免受电磁波影响。


此研究的研究者，山下湘南梦的诊所生殖医学研究中心研究部负责人Kumiko Nakata表示，该诊所的51名男性患者在2018年8月至11月参与了此项研究。









Kumiko Nakata的研究方向为胚胎学和精子学，她表示男性被试的精子样本会放置于一台便携式WiFi路由器附近，类似于男性将手机放在裤子中。




Kumiko Nakata说：“在电磁波激活30分钟后，对照组和防护组精子的运动率为87％，而暴露组精子的运动率为88％。
















ASPIRE 2019年大会将于5月2日至5日在香港会议展览中心举行。


*由Kumiko Nakata 在大会上发表的研究是山下湘南梦的诊所生殖医学研究中心与山梨大学生命与环境科学学院合作的成果。