France has ordered US mobile phone maker Apple to stop selling the iPhone 12 because it emits too much electromagnetic radiation.
Meanwhile, ANFR, the French authority that manages radio frequencies, on Tuesday ordered the tech giant to fix existing phones of this model.
ANFR has informed Apple that if it cannot fix the problem with a software update, it must recall all iPhone 12 phones it sold in France, the BBC reports.
In the past, the World Health Organization has been calm about the radiation emitted by mobile phones. As he reports on his website, there is no evidence to suggest that exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields is harmful to humans.
The iPhone 12 model went on sale in September 2020, and it is still sold worldwide.
Apple said it disputes ANFR’s assessment. It has provided this regulator with its laboratory results and third-party results showing that the device complies with all relevant rules on radiation levels, the company added.
French Minister for Digital Transition and Telecommunications Jean-Noel Barrot told the newspaper Le Parisien that the reason for the decision was the excessive level of radiation, which was beyond acceptable. He added that Apple must respond within two weeks.
France will share its findings with other competent authorities in the Union, which could result in “snowball effect”, Barrot said.
ANFR requires verification of the level of specific absorption (a measure for evaluating the effects of electromagnetic radiation on organisms) according to two ways of using the phone. When the phone is in close contact with the human body, for example in a trouser pocket, the limit of the mentioned level is four watts per kilogram.
The French regulator announced that this level for the mentioned phone model is 5.74 watts per kilogram.
The second check refers to the time when the phone is slightly further away, say in a bag, and in this case the measurement showed that the level of specific absorption of the iPhone 12 is within the permissible limits.
The news was announced in France on Tuesday, the day Apple unveiled its new iPhone 15 model.
Source: Rtvslo
