France's ANFR agency has banned Apple iPhone 12 sale in the country due to radiation levels exceeding EU limits.
ANFR detected radiation levels exceeding European Union limits. The watchdog recommends a software update to address the problem.
However, Apple disputes the findings, asserting that the iPhone 12 complies with international standards, as reported by Reuters.
2. The ANFR found that the iPhone 12's Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), a measure of radiofrequency energy absorbed by the body, was higher than legally allowed in recent random tests.
3. Jean-Noel Barrot, France's junior minister for the digital economy, suggested that a software update could potentially resolve the issue, but the ANFR threatened a device recall if Apple didn't address the problem.
5. SAR, or Specific Absorption Rate, quantifies the energy dose the body absorbs from radiation sources and is measured in watts per kilogram of body weight
6. Mobile phone radiation primarily causes body tissue heating above certain limits, potentially leading to issues such as burns, according to the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
7. The ANFR's tests revealed a SAR of 5.74 watts per kilogram for the iPhone 12 when held or kept in a trouser pocket, while the EU standard is 4.0 watts per kilogram.
8. Health organizations like WHO haven't definitively linked mobile radiation to harm but seek more research; IARC termed it "possibly carcinogenic" in 2011.
However, experts like Professor Rodney Croft, chair of ICNIRP, stated that this level poses no health risk
10. However, the company contests the ANFR's findings and has provided data from Apple and third-party labs to prove compliance with global SAR regulations.