Electromagnetic frequency (EMF) waves from cell phones, computers and other wireless electronic devices are ubiquitous in our environment. The research base linking EMF exposure to negative reproductive health effects continues to grow. This teleconference, co-hosted by CHE Fertility and CHE EMF working groups, examined recent research on EMF exposure, infertility and negative pregnancy outcomes.
Dr. Ashok Agarwal discussed multiple studies linking EMF exposure with decreased fertility in males. Dr. De-Kun Li, of the Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California reviewed studies linking EMF with early pregnancy loss and discussed ongoing studies he is conducting on pregnancy loss. Carlo V. Bellieni, director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Siena University Hospital, Italy, discussed findings from his recent study quantifying EMF emissions from laptop computers and implications for the developing fetus. Dr. Bellieni also reviewed his findings on neonatal exposure to EMF in hospital incubators and presented a novel approach for lowering exposure to EMF for newborns and their caregivers.
Featured Speakers
Ashok Agarwal, PhD, HCLD, is the director of the Andrology Laboratory and of the Center for Reproductive Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. He was appointed as the Chairman of Board of the American College of Embryology in 2009. Dr. Agarwal is also a Professor at the Lerner College of Medicine, and the 2011 Star Award from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Agarwal is currently an editor of 10 medical text books/ manuals related to male infertility, ART, fertility preservation, DNA damage and antioxidants.
De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, MPH, is a senior research scientist at the Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Dr. Li’s research areas include pharmacoepidemiolgical effect of medication use during pregnancy, genetic determinants of adverse pregnancy outcomes, the effect of electromagnetic fields on adverse pregnancy outcomes and low sperm quality, and the effect of endocrine disruptors, specifically Bisphenol A (BPA), on male and female reproductive systems. Dr. Li is also a lecturer at Stanford University in the Department of Health Research and Policy. He is currently the associate editor of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Carlo V. Bellieni, MD, is a neonatologist and a bioethicist. Dr. Bellieni is the Director of the neonatal intensive therapy unit at the Siena University Hospital. He serves as Secretary of the Bioethics Committee of the Italian Pediatrics Society, and is a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life and of the Directive Board of the Scienza e Vita Association. Dr. Bellieni is the author of many clinical research papers in international scientific journals, including studies on electromagnetic emission from neonatal incubators and on pain in children, and has written several books in Italian, Spanish, French, and English on neonatal pain and bioethics.
Iole Pinto, PhD, is a medical physicist and industrial hygienist. She is the Director of the Physical Agents Unit of the Prevention Department of the Regional Health System—Tuscany Region—at the Siena Local Health Unit. She is professor of Environmental Physics at Siena University. Iole Pinto is the author of many research papers in international scientific journals on physical hazards in occupational and environmental health, including studies on CEM exposure of phoetus arising from laptop computers, CEM and noise exposures of newborn from neonatal incubators, optical radiations exposures risks from neonatal phototherapy devices. She is the project leader of the Italian Physical Agents Portal.
This call was moderated by Karin Russ, MS, RN, National Coordinator of the CHE Fertility and Reproductive Health working group and Antoinette (Toni) Stein, PhD, Co-Coordinator of CHE-EMF working group.