CARNAL NATION

Researchers at Stanford warn that household chores might reduce a man's sperm count.  Sort of.

The Daily Mail reports that men exposed to strong electromagnetic fields may have lower sperm counts than men who don't.   Strong electromagnetic fields are created by anything with a motor, so vacuum cleaners, refrigerators and microwaves are all potential threats.  (So are lots of other things, though, like computers.  And unfortunately for men wanting to make excuses, feather dusters and mops and toilet brushes don't use electricity.  Actually, this study doesn't really have anything to do with chores at all.)

Fertility expert Dr. De-Kun Li said his research is the first to show a link between electrical goods and decreased fertility.  He recommends that men trying to have children reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields.  "Keep devices, especially those with electric motors, away from the body," he says.

Li's study tracked 148 volunteers in Shanghai, about half of whom had healthy sperm and half of whom had poor sperm mobility, shape, or count.  Each volunteer wore a meter which read magnetic fields every four seconds over the course of four days.  Those exposed to the strongest magnetic fields were twice as likely as the other subjects to have poor sperm quality.

Although the study did not look at what was producing the magnetic fields, electrical appliances – especially those containing motors such as hairdryers – produce high frequencies and therefore strong magnetic fields.  So do laptops.  Li's study will be published in January in the journal Reproductive Toxicology.