Europe 1 with AFP 13:00 p.m., September 13, 2023

The National Frequency Agency pins Apple and its iPhone 12. According to the latest checks carried out on a panel of phones on sale, the 2020 model of the American giant would not respect the limits on the emission of waves. But can this high level of waves identified by the Agency constitute a risk to our health?

This is news that comes at the wrong time for Apple. While the Apple brand presented with great fanfare its new iPhone 15, the National Frequency Agency (ANFR) published a statement in which it requests the withdrawal of the sale of the iPhone 12. This model, released in 2020, would exceed the authorized limit by 1.74 W per kilogram. The agency gives the U.S. company 15 days to fix this problem, otherwise the state could recall products already in circulation.

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Is there a health hazard?

To understand whether there is a health risk, it is necessary to understand what corresponds to the specific absorption rate (SAR) that is discussed here. There are different types of SAR that correspond to the area of use of the product: head, trunk and limb. In the case of the iPhone 12, it is the "member" value that the Apple model has exceeded since according to ANFR, the regulatory limit value corresponds to 4W/kg. The value she measured on the iPhone 12 was therefore 5.74 W/kg. Regarding head and trunk SARs, Apple complies with the imposed values.

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A software update to fix the problem?

There is no need to worry about the health consequences of this exceeding of values. According to the World Health Organization, there is no evidence that "exposure to low-level electromagnetic fields is dangerous to health." In an interview in the newspaper Le Parisien, the Minister Delegate for Digital, Jean-Noël Barrot, ensures that there is no immediate danger to health. It also specifies that "the European standard is ten times lower than the level of emissions which, according to scientific studies, can have consequences for the user".

To solve this problem of waves, the National Frequency Agency indicates that the Californian company could solve it with a simple software update, which will be controlled by the Agency. It is not uncommon for ANFR to single out manufacturers for too high levels, but this is a first for Apple.