Germany and Belgium Considering Banning Apple’s iPhone 12 in Light of Concerns Over Potential Health Effects from Radiation

Regulators in Germany and Belgium are set to review potential health risks linked to Apple’s iPhone 12, two days after France banned sales of the devices over radiation fears.

French watchdogs revealed on Tuesday that smartphone tests showed that radio frequency energy absorbed by the body exceeded legal levels by 40 percent.

Apple disputed the French findings and said the iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with radiation standards.

But now regulators in Germany and Belgium said they could follow France’s lead. as Italy and Spain monitor the situation.

French watchdogs came to the claims after conducting random tests on 141 phones, including the iPhone 12.

The number of iPhone 12s, specifically, sold in Europe is unknown, but Apple reported net sales of $68.64 million in 2020 when the model was launched – a total of 100 million units were sold worldwide.

However, if the research turns out to be true, it would put the iPhone well above better-known issuers like the Motorola Edge and ZTE Axon 11 5G.

EU legislation sets limits for the specific absorption rate (Sar), which measures the amount of energy absorbed by the body when exposed to radio frequency electromagnetic waves from electronic devices such as mobile phones.

The limit is two watts per kilogram when the phone is held next to your ear or torso and four watts per kilogram when held or stored in a pocket.

The Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR), the French watchdog that governs radio frequencies, said the Sar of Apple’s iPhone 12 when carried was 5.74 watts per kilogram.

“With regard to phones already sold, Apple must, at the earliest possible delay, take corrective measures to bring the affected phones into compliance,” the ANFR said in a statement on its website. “Otherwise, Apple will have to retire them.”

However, Apple’s website claims that the iPhone 12 has a Sar of 0.98 watts per kilogram when held near the ear and 0.99 watts per kilogram when carried or placed in a pocket, far from below what the French claim.

Researchers have conducted a large number of studies over the past two decades to evaluate the health risks of mobile phones.

If the French investigation turns out to be true, it would place the iPhone well above better-known issuers such as the Motorola Edge and the ZTE Axon 11 5G. A 2022 chart of mobile phone radiation exposure rates from the German Federal Office of Radiation

According to the World Health Organization, no adverse health effects caused by its use have been established.

Mathieu Michel, Belgium’s secretary of state for digitalisation, said in a statement emailed to Reuters: “It is my duty to ensure that all citizens… are safe.”

“I quickly contacted the IBPT-BIPT (regulator) to request an analysis on the potential hazard of the product.”

Apple launched its iPhone 15 line on Tuesday and has not yet shared RF power for the models, but previous models do not exceed 0.99, according to the tech giant’s website.

The German Federal Office for Radiation published data on the smartphones with the highest emissions from 2022.

SAR, calculated in watts per kilogram of body weight, quantifies how much energy per unit mass the human body absorbs when exposed to a radio frequency.

The legal limit in the US is 1.6 watts per kilogram.

These five models emit one of the most important radiations on the market: Motorola Edge (1.79 w/kg), OnePlus 6T (1.55 w/kg); Sony Xperia XA2 Plus (1.41 w/kg), Google Pixel 3 XL (1.39 w/kg) and Google Pixel 4a (1.37 w/kg) tied with Oppo Reno5 5G (1.37 w/kg) ).

The Google Pixel 3 (1.33 w/kg), the Huawei P Smart (1.27 w/kg) and the OnePlus 9 (1.26 w/kg) were not far behind.

The Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 5G (0.19 w/kg), the Samsung Galaxy Note10 (0.21 w/kg), the Samsung Galaxy A80 (0.22 w/kg), the LG G7 ThinQ (0.24 w/ kg) and the Motorola Razr 5G (0.27 w/kg). /kg) are the ones that emit the least.