Drop that vacuum cleaner -- it damages your sperm

(Our happy hour fact to amaze your pub going pals with.)

A study has found that household chores – including using a vacuum cleaner or microwave oven – could reduce a man's chances of having children.

Researchers exposed male volunteers to electromagnetic fields – high doses of which are produced by all electrically charged objects, including fridges and vacuums – and found such exposure could double the risk of having poor-quality sperm.

Fertility expert Dr De-Kun Li said his work provides the first evidence of a link between electrical goods and declining male fertility. Dr Li, of Stanford University, California, said: 'I would advise men and couples trying for a baby to reduce their exposure to electromagnetic fields as much as possible.

The study recruited 148 donors at a sperm bank in Shanghai. Tests showed that 76 had poor sperm mobility, shape or count, while 72 had good-quality sperm. Participants were asked to wear meters which took readings of magnetic fields every four seconds for 24 hours on days they considered 'typical'.

They found that the half of the group who had peak readings above 0.16 microtesla – a measure of magnetic field strength – were twice as likely to have low sperm quality as those with readings below this level.

So, that's that sorted then. You should never vacuum again.