Paris (AFP)
Some cell phones on sale before 2016 must be removed from circulation, or at least updated, because they emit too much waves and exceed the most recent standards when they are worn in the pocket of a jacket, Judge Monday the Anses health agency.
"The average duration of use of a phone is a few years (3-5 years), a number of these phones are likely still used today," said the Director General of ANSES, Roger Genet, in a report published Monday.
Questioned by AFP, ANSES did not specify the number or the name of the targeted models.
In question, the DAS (Specific Absorption Rate) of these models, an indicator that evaluates the amount of energy absorbed by the body exposed to waves. The regulations state that this SAR must not exceed the value of 2 watts per kilogram (W / kg).
This SAR is measured in the laboratory prior to the introduction of laptops.
Before 2016, the distance of distance used to measure it could be up to 2.5 cm between the phone and the body.
But in April 2016, the standards were hardened to evaluate phones in more realistic conditions, very close to the body. For radiation on the trunk, that is to say when the smartphone is in a pocket or bag, wave emissions are now measured at 5 mm maximum.
Consequences: some phones that were compliant with the previous regulations are no longer at the new one, and their SAR exceeds 2 W / kg if measured within 5 mm of the body.
In its report, "ANSES recommends that measures be taken to ensure that users are no longer exposed to SARs greater than 2 W / kg, for example through phone software updates (or) recall. of telephones ".
In the meantime, ANSES recommends not carrying these devices too close to the body.
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