Current:Home > MyThe iPhone 12 emits too much radiation and Apple must take it off the market, a French agency says-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
The iPhone 12 emits too much radiation and Apple must take it off the market, a French agency says
View Date:2024-12-24 00:16:44
PARIS (AP) — A government watchdog agency in France has ordered Apple to withdraw the iPhone 12 from the French market, saying it emits levels of electromagnetic radiation that are too high.
The National Frequency Agency, which oversees radio-electric frequencies as well as public exposure to electromagnetic radiation, called on Apple in a statement Tuesday to “implement all available means to rapidly fix this malfunction” for phones already being used.
Corrective updates to the iPhone 12 will be monitored by the agency, and if they don’t work, “Apple will have to recall” phones that have already been sold, according to the French regulator’s statement.
Apple disputed the findings and said the device complies with all regulations governing radiation.
The agency, which is known by the French acronym ANFR, said it recently checked 141 cellphones, including the iPhone 12, for electromagnetic waves capable of being absorbed by the body.
It said it found a level of electromagnetic energy absorption of 5.74 watts per kilogram during tests of a phone in a hand or a pocket, higher than the European Union standard of 4 watts per kilogram.
The agency said the iPhone 12 met the threshold when radiation levels were assessed for a phone kept in a jacket or in a bag.
Apple said the iPhone 12, which was released in late 2020, has been certified by multiple international bodies and complies with all applicable regulations and standards for radiation around the world.
The U.S. tech company said it has provided the French agency with multiple lab results carried out both by the company and third-party labs proving the phone’s compliance.
Jean-Noël Barrot, France’s minister in charge of digital issues, told France Info radio that the National Frequency Agency “is in charge of controlling our phones which, as there are software updates, may emit a little more or a little less electromagnetic waves.”
He said that the iPhone 12 radiation levels are “slightly higher” than the standards but “significantly lower than levels where scientific studies consider there may be consequences for users. But the rule is the rule.”
Cellphones have been labeled as “possible” carcinogens by the World Health Organization’s cancer research arm, putting them in the same category as coffee, diesel fumes and the pesticide DDT. The radiation produced by cellphones cannot directly damage DNA and is different from stronger types of radiation like X-rays or ultraviolet light.
In 2018, two U.S. government studies that bombarded mice and rats with cellphone radiation found a weak link to some heart tumors, but federal regulators and scientists said it was still safe to use the devices. Scientists said those findings didn’t reflect how most people use their cellphones and that the animal findings didn’t translate into a similar concern for humans.
Among the largest studies on potential dangers of cellphone use, a 2010 analysis in 13 countries found little or no risk of brain tumors.
People’s mobile phone habits also have changed substantially since the first studies began and it’s unclear if the results of previous research would still apply today.
Since many tumors take years to develop, experts say it’s difficult to conclude that cellphones have no long-term health risks. Experts have recommended that people concerned about their cellphone radiation exposure use earphones or switch to texting.
veryGood! (1966)
Related
- South Carolina does not set a date for the next execution after requests for a holiday pause
- Lady Gaga's Jaw-Dropping Intricate Headpiece Is the Perfect Illusion
- The Daily Money: A Labor Day strike
- Power outages could last weeks in affluent SoCal city plagued by landslides
- 'Joker 2' actor pans DC sequel as the 'worst film' ever: 'It has no plot'
- Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler to face Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka in TV battle
- Ben Platt Marries Noah Galvin After Over 4 Years of Dating
- Republican Liz Cheney endorses Kamala Harris
- Arizona Supreme Court declines emergency request to extend ballot ‘curing’ deadline
- College football's cash grab: Coaches, players, schools, conference all are getting paid.
Ranking
- Advocacy group sues Tennessee over racial requirements for medical boards
- Save Up to 74% on Pants at Old Navy: $8 Shorts, $9 Leggings & More Bestsellers on Sale for a Limited Time
- Officials confirm 28 deaths linked to decades-long Takata airbag recall in US
- NYC teacher grazed by bullet fired through school window
- Volkswagen, Mazda, Honda, BMW, Porsche among 304k vehicles recalled: Check car recalls here
- 'Our family is together again': Dogs rescued from leveled home week after Alaska landslide
- Gigi Hadid and Bradley Cooper Show Sweet PDA on Yacht in Italy
- Lady Gaga's Jaw-Dropping Intricate Headpiece Is the Perfect Illusion
Recommendation
-
Man killed by police in Minnesota was being sought in death of his pregnant wife
-
North Carolina musician arrested, accused of Artificial Intelligence-assisted fraud caper
-
An inherited IRA can boost your finances, but new IRS rules may mean a tax headache
-
Team USA's Tatyana McFadden wins 21st career Paralympic medal
-
Taylor Swift Politely Corrects Security’s Etiquette at Travis Kelce’s Chiefs Game
-
Opening statements are scheduled in the trial of a man who killed 10 at a Colorado supermarket
-
Half a house for half a million dollars: Home crushed by tree hits market near Los Angeles
-
A utility investigated but didn’t find a gas leak before a fatal Maryland house explosion