using Laptops on your lap! [Archive] - MotheringDotCommunity Forums

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Maxine45

12-14-2005, 09:31 AM

PancakeGoddess

12-14-2005, 09:32 AM

I wouldn't do it. I don't have a laptop, but I don't think you're kooky.

~pi

12-14-2005, 10:51 AM

Is anyone being careful about using their laptop on their lap?

I'm kinda concerned about the electro-magnetic field being so close to my . . . baby? little one?

Anyway, is my concern shared by anyone else or am I just kooky?
Unless your laptop is really old, you're just kooky. :wink

Laptops are not a problem for pregnant women. According to a relatively recent (2003?) study though, they may affect male fertility. (Some people seem to have the idea that this means they are a concern for pg women as well. I want to make those people take courses in physics and physiology!)

PancakeGoddess

12-14-2005, 01:09 PM

UnskulinMama

12-14-2005, 02:40 PM

Maria, do you have time to give us a little more info about this, since I really can't go sign up for physics today?

I do remember reading about the study about male fertility, but I don't know of any research indicating that it's actually safe for an embryo. If you know why it is, I'd love to know about it. I certainly am not a scientiest.

I'm not Maria, not a scientist, and haven't done any research on this... but my *guess* would be that it could decrease male fertility because of the extra heat near the testicles... since they hang outside the body to stay a few degrees cooler?

I don't know anything about electro-magnetics either, but if it's just the heat issue, I'd imagine pregnant women are fine because the heat from a laptop is not enough to raise one's core body temperature. But that would just be my uneducated guess. :blah

~pi

12-14-2005, 08:59 PM

Maria, do you have time to give us a little more info about this, since I really can't go sign up for physics today? :lol

I do remember reading about the study about male fertility, but I don't know of any research indicating that it's actually safe for an embryo. If you know why it is, I'd love to know about it. I certainly am not a scientiest.

Amy, I don't have tons of time (it's almost 10 and I just got home from a day 'o appointments!) but briefly, here's the scoop:

Physics

Electro-magnetic fields are everywhere. There is some concern about their effect on human health and this is under study all over the world. However, especially since the introduction of consumer protection laws on laptops, you're going to get much more exposure from opening your clothes dryer than you would get from spending time with a laptop. (And IIRC, laptops have lower ratings than regular computer monitors.)

Physiology

Alyssa gave a great explanation on this. Sperm and embryos, while they both relate to fertility, are very different animals. Male fertility is highly, highly sensitive to heat. Other things that have been shown to affect male fertility include biking shorts, tight underwear, excessive -- erm -- personal time and so on. Embryos are not nearly so sensitive to the same issues (although they do have issues of their own.)

I can do a quick lit search tomorrow if you're really interested in seeing any epidemiological work that's been done on the subject, although, honestly, I doubt there is much, if anything. It just isn't interesting from an epi point of view because the physiology doesn't support a hypothesis of potential harm. Let me know, though.

KarenEMT

12-14-2005, 10:29 PM

Thanks so much for asking this. DH bought me a laptop for my Christmas present and I was wondering the same thing.

PancakeGoddess

12-15-2005, 06:48 AM

thanks maria (and others) - that was really helpful. Now I need a laptop! :)

midwestmom

12-15-2005, 07:39 AM

yep, I am with Maria on this one :D .

Maxine45

12-15-2005, 09:07 AM

Good discussion :-)

my concern stemmed from reports I'd read that using electric blankets could lead to childhood lukemia - but the validity of that claim is not yet proven.

From the website of the National Cancer Institute:
"In a detailed evaluation, investigators from NCI and the Children’s Oncology Group examined whether the use of household electrical appliances by the mother while pregnant and later by the child increased the risk of childhood leukemia. Although some appliances were associated with childhood leukemia, researchers did not find any consistent pattern of increasing risk with increasing years of use or how often the appliance was used (8). A few other studies have reported mostly inconsistencies or no relation between appliances and risk of childhood cancer."

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/magnetic-fields

~pi

12-15-2005, 02:09 PM

Good discussion :-)

:)

Maxine, I agree that the appliance-cancer link was of some interest in childhood cancer research for a while, but AFAIK, it has been more or less discarded because of the lack of dose-response. (Dose-response means that with a greater dose of the treatment/hazard, you have a greater rate of improvement/disease. For example, dose-response is shown conclusively in smoking-lung cancer: people who smoke 2 packs a day have a higher incidence of lung cancer than people who smoke 1 pack a day.)

With respect to normal household applicances and childhood leukemia, it just doesn't make sense that greater exposure shows no association with greater incidence. Since dose-response is one of the strongest indicators of causality, the claim is not only unproven, but very shaky.

I believe the link between living near power lines and childhood leukemia is still under study, though. And, of course, there are issues with exposure to much higher than normal levels of electromagnetic fields. (Which is why my friend who is doing her PhD in metallurgy and is routinely exposed to high levels is waiting to start a family until she's done her experimental work!)

In any case, I'm quite confident that laptop use is not worth worrying about. :)