Key Points
- Apple has been ordered to temporarily halt iPhone 12 sales in France.
- One of the country's safety regulators says the device emits more radiation than allowed under European guidelines.
- Organisations in other countries are considering taking similar steps, but scientists say there's no health risk.
A French watchdog has ordered Apple to temporarily halt iPhone 12 sales in the country, claiming the device emits more radiation than allowed under European guidelines.
Germany's network regulator said it might launch similar proceedings and was in close contact with French authorities, while a Spanish consumers' group urged authorities there to halt sales of the phone.
Apple said in a statement the iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with global radiation standards.
The company said it had provided the French agency with several Apple and third-party lab results proving the phone's compliance and was contesting its findings.
Researchers have conducted a vast number of studies over the last two decades to assess health risks resulting from mobile phones.
According to the World Health Organization, no adverse health effects have so far been established as being caused by mobile phone use.
Why is France pushing to ban iPhone 12 sales?
The iPhone 12 was released in 2020, so the decision to take it off shelves has surprised some experts.
But the French regulator L’Agence Nationale Des Fréquences (ANFR) says tests showed the device exceeded European Union limits of a measure known as the specific absorption rate (SAR).
The SAR measures how much electromagnetic radiation your body might receive using the phone or having it near you.
According to European regulations, the amount of energy passing through should be below a SAR of 4 watts per kilogram of tissue for a limb, and 2 Watts per kilo of tissue for the head or torso .
The ANFR says the test measured the SAR at 5.74 W/kg.
Will Australia also ban the iPhone 12?
The Australian Communications and Media Authority, which regulates radiation exposure from mobile phones in Australia, said it was aware of its French counterpart's decision.
"We are looking at the testing methodology they used to come to this decision," a spokesperson told SBS News.
Before its distribution in Australia, the Apple iPhone 12 was required to be tested and certified as meeting Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) standards, they said.
"There is no evidence that the device is non-compliant with the ARPANSA standard."
Are people at risk from iPhone 12 radiation?
A radiation reading of 5.74 W/kg is "many times below what would be required to cause any harm," University of Wollongong professor Rodney Croft said.
"It is important to note that this will not have any impact on health. To put the exposure level into context, 5.7 W/kg would only cause a temperature rise in the limbs of less than 1C, and only in a very localised region; this is far less than normal temperature variation during the day."
In Australia the SAR limit for mobile phone handsets is the same as the EU's limit, though ARPANSA assistant director Ken Karipidis said the safety limits are set very conservatively.
"While it’s not ideal, and we do not condone safety breaches, there should be no immediate danger from exposure slightly above the limit," he said.
The main risk from the type of radiation emitted by mobile phones is that it would make your cells hot, which is only dangerous at a much higher level than a phone emits.
More than 20 watts per kilogram would be needed for excessive heating to occur in the body.
There are no clear links to any other side effects.
The ANFR said a software update should be sufficient to fix the issue.
What is a safe level of radiation in your environment?
There are different types of radiation present in our homes and workplaces, and most often they have nothing to do with nuclear radiation, Curtin University physics professor Nigel Marks told SBS News.
"Anything that transmits a signal, whether it's bluetooth or when we pay with our cards or using our radio, it's got some type of electromagnetic radiation."
Non-ionizing radiation is produced by mobile phones, microwaves, remote controls, induction heaters, infrared lights and ultraviolet lights.
It doesn't damage DNA directly when it passes through the body and, as a rule, is far less harmful than ionizing radiation, Marks said.
Ionizing radiation includes alpha particles, gamma rays, X-rays and neutrons, which can cause far more harm to the body and have strict regulations for operating.
"When mobile phones were first rolled out, people were worried about the electromagnetic radiation, but it's been studied intensely since then, so it's a bit odd this particular one doesn't meet the regulations," Marks said.
- With additional reporting by Reuters.
