# REV-018 — Mobile-phone use and sperm quality: an updated meta-analysis

Collection: Reviews & proposed mechanisms (not an original experiment)

Doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111784

Title: Effects of mobile phone usage on sperm quality - No time-dependent relationship on usage: A systematic review and updated meta-analysis

Authors: Sungjoon Kim; Donghyun Han; Jiwoo Ryu; Kihun Kim; Yun Hak Kim

Date: 2021-07-30

Issueyear: 2021

Why: Sperm-quality findings are relevant to reproductive concern, while duration-response evidence needs separate scrutiny.

Summary: Combines 18 studies with 4280 samples and reports reduced sperm motility, viability and concentration associated with mobile-phone exposure; did not establish a consistent time-dependent deterioration with longer phone use.

Limitations: Combines laboratory and observational designs with varying exposure measures. Semen parameters are surrogate endpoints; observational associations may involve confounding. The absence of duration-response limits interpretation.

Scope: A systematic review and updated meta-analysis of mobile-phone use and human sperm-quality measures.

Exposures: Mobile telephony; Radiofrequency

Journal: Environmental research

Heading: Mobile-phone use and sperm quality: an updated meta-analysis

Id: REV-018

Kind: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Topics: Reproduction; Sperm quality

Links: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111784; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34333014/

Author: Kim et al.

Access Label: Abstract checked

Source Check: Original PubMed/EPMC metadata and abstract checked; full article not assessed. Linked PubMed/Europe PMC notice records checked on 21 October 2026; this is not a guarantee that every editorial update is indexed.

Citation: Sungjoon Kim; Donghyun Han; Jiwoo Ryu; Kihun Kim; Yun Hak Kim. Effects of mobile phone usage on sperm quality - No time-dependent relationship on usage: A systematic review and updated meta-analysis. Environmental research. 2021. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.111784.

Related Studies: RF-006; RF-022; RF-044

Url: /reviews/rev-018/

Year: 2021

Record Type: review_or_mechanism

Source Url: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2021.111784