(UnitedVoice.com) – For years there have been concerns about cell phones and radiation. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cell phones use radiofrequency radiation (RF) to send signals. Those signals expose users to radiation. The national health agency acknowledges there’s a possibility that it can cause long-term harm, but there aren’t enough tests to make that determination yet.
However, in France, the country is taking action and has ordered one US tech giant to stop selling some phones.
No More Phones
On September 12, France’s Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) called on Apple to pull the iPhone 12 from the market immediately. According to a report, the decision to remove the phones came after measures to test their specific absorption rate (SAR) found they were exceeding healthy standards.
ANFR periodically checks electronic devices to make sure they are meeting the standards for exposure to electromagnetic fields. The agency recently tested 141 cell phones, including the iPhone 12.
The Apple devices exceeded safety limits, and the agency ordered them to stop being sold. Additionally, regulators said the company must “adopt all necessary corrective measures to bring the telephones into conformity” if they are already being used by consumers. If the company isn’t able to do that, the Fench government will require the tech giant to issue a recall.
Malcolm Sperrin, who serves as the director of medical physics at the UK’s Royal Berkshire Hospital group, told The Associated Press that the radiation limits are “well below” levels that could hurt a person. He explained that devices that are above that level slightly are “unlikely to be of any health consequence.”
Jean-Noël Barrot, the French minister in charge of technology, said the iPhone’s radiations are “slightly higher” than the standards but “significantly lower” than the levels that are actually harmful. However, he explained that it doesn’t matter because “the rule is the rule.”
Apple Responds
The iPhone model in question was released in late 2020. At the time, it passed France’s tests. It’s not clear why the phone failed this time around. Apple pointed that out, saying multiple international agencies have certified the phone and acknowledged they comply with all of the safety standards.
Further, the company said it gave the French regulatory agency copies of the multiple lab results that it and third-party labs carried out to prove the phone was in compliance.
Sperrin said the issue will likely be resolved by a software update that users can just download.
Experts have said that people who are worried about radiation from their phones should text instead of putting the phone up to their ears.
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