Effects of pulsed electromagnetic radiations emitted by video display terminals on human spermatogenesis

We studied a possible action of the radiations emitted by a video display terminal (VDT) on human spermatogenesis. Explants were originated from a 35 year old patient who presented a left varicocele (grade 4). Biopsies were taken from the two organs and divided into several parts. Except for one untreated control, the other samples were cultivated for 24 hrs: one sample (non-exposed) was simply cultivated without any particular treatment and the two others were exposed at 50 cm in front of a computer which was equipped with an experimental system for testing its efficacity to insure an efficient protection against the radiation (exposed and exposed-protected). On all samples, histopathologic and meiotic studies were done. The results demonstrate a noxious effect of the pulsed electromagnetic radiations (PEMR) on human spermatogenesis. This effect causes appearance of disorganisation of the seminiferous tubules, decrease of spermatide number, increase of apoptotic cells and of pycnotic cells and typical toxic meiotic impairment (asynapsis, chromosome breakdowns, synaptonemal complex fragmentation, abnormal sex-vesicle). This toxic effect was more pronounced in the varicocele-weakened testis.