FRENCH GOVERNMENT ORDERS APPLE TO HALT IPHONE 12 SALES DUE TO HIGH RADIATION LEVELS

Wed 13 September 2023:

Apple was asked to cease selling its iPhone 12 model in France due to newly-discovered elevated radiation levels.

On the same day Apple launched its flagship devices at its annual event in Cupertino, California Radiation watchdog ANFR demanded the halt saying the Apple devices emitted too much electromagnetic radiation.

Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s junior minister for the digital economy told the newspaper Le Parisien that ANFR had carried out tests which showed the smartphone’s Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) to be slightly higher than what’s legally allowed.

The watchdog said accredited labs found absorption of electromagnetic energy by the body at 5.74 watts per kilogram during tests when the smartphone was being held in the hand or kept in a pocket. Interestingly, the European standard for the specific absorption rate is 4.0 watts per kilogram in such tests.

As a result, ANFR says it “ordered Apple to remove the iPhone 12 from the French market from September 12”.

“Concerning phones already sold, Apple must in the briefest of delays take corrective measures to bring the affected phones into compliance. Otherwise, Apple will have to recall them,” the watchdog added.

Starting Wednesday (September 13), the watchdog said its agents will be on the lookout, verifying if the company had halted the sale of devices or not.

Meanwhile, Barrot said a software update would be sufficient to fix the radiation issues.

“Apple is expected to respond within two weeks. If they fail to do so, I am prepared to order a recall of all iPhones 12 in circulation. The rule is the same for everyone, including the digital giants.”

Non-ionizing radiation, such as that produced by iPhones and other smartphones, lacks the energy needed to ionize atoms or molecules and, as a result, does not pose the same health dangers as ionizing radiation like X-rays or gamma rays. This does not mean it can’t be problematic.

Regulatory bodies in several nations have defined exposure limits for RF radiation, the type of radiation present in mobile phones, in order to safeguard the public’s health. These restrictions are made to guarantee that the radiation emitted by cell phones stays below safe thresholds.

By far and large, Apple iPhones are made to adhere to these legal requirements.

The rate at which RF radiation is absorbed by the human body while using a mobile phone is estimated through SAR measurements. For each of its iPhone models, Apple supplies SAR data, and these results tend to fall within most regulatory bodies’ permitted ranges.

Possible health implications from prolonged use

The possible health implications of prolonged exposure to RF radiation from mobile phones have been the subject of extensive investigation. Several studies have been conducted on the matter, with some of them finding a connection between high SAR values and certain forms of cancer.

Apple succumbs to the EU’s demands

Notably, on Tuesday, Apple announced it was finally falling in line with the rules imposed by the European Union. During the launch event, the company said its new iPhone lineup will ditch the proprietary Lightning Port technology and adopt the USB-C chargers.

The EU Parliament last year approved new rules that make sure a universal charging port is introduced for all electronic gadgets (mobile phones, tablets, cameras, e-readers, earbuds and other devices) by 2024. 11 years after Apple introduced its novel charging technology, it has returned to the universal regulations.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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