Sauna use among dads linked to tumors in children
By Ben Harder
Would-be fathers who expose themselves to excessive heat in the weeks before they conceive children may place their future offspring at unnecessary risk of brain cancer, new research suggests. The study provides inconclusive data on whether maternal exposure to heat during early pregnancy similarly affects cancer risk.
Past studies have shown that in female animals, exposure to elevated temperature during pregnancy can cause fetuses to die or develop abnormally. Also, human sperm, which take about 10 weeks to develop, are acutely sensitive to temperature.