by Jason Stotts
Catchy title, right? It’s the title of a new report by Reuters on the dangers to men from using laptops on their laps.
The researchers hooked thermometers to the scrotums of 29 young men who were balancing a laptop on their knees. They found that even with a lap pad under the computer, the men’s scrotums overheated quickly.
“Millions and millions of men are using laptops now, especially those in the reproductive age range,” said Dr. Yefim Sheynkin, a urologist at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, who led the new study.
“Within 10 or 15 minutes their scrotal temperature is already above what we consider safe, but they don’t feel it,” he added.
Although the report goes on to say that there is no identified health risk yet, that it does affect sperm quality and may be leading to reduced sperm count or impotence in men.
We should wait for more conclusive studies to be released before anyone starts panicking that they’re destroying their testicles, but maybe we men should be a little more wary of having our laptops on our laps.