The iPhone 12 has been at the heart of a controversy since the announcement of the iPhone 15. The problem would come from the waves it emits. However, are these waves dangerous for our health? We tell you everything.
Despite its release a while ago, the iPhone 12 is being talked about again. Unfortunately, not for the right reasons. Since Tuesday, September 12, the ANFR has been defending Apple and its merchants from selling it, in fact, the phone would generate waves that exceed the thresholds of European compliance. However, the phone can still be found on online sites in France, although it is more difficult to obtain it.
Jean-Noël Barrot clarified to Le Parisien that the tests carried out on the iPhone 12 “have demonstrated that this phone presents an excess of the specific absorption rate (SAR)”. What is it about ? As an ANFR press release on this ban explains, “DAS makes it possible to quantify the energy transported by electromagnetic waves and absorbed by the human body.”
The DAS is made up of three categories, as the site phonandroid.com reminds us: the “member DAS” (when the device is held in the hand or stored in a pants pocket), the “trunk DAS” (when the device is in the pocket of a jacket or in a handbag) and the “head DAS” (when we hold the device to our ear to make a call).
The excess SAR accused of the iPhone 12 concerns the first category of “member SAR”. Thus, its value was measured at 5.74 watts per kilogram (W/kg), against the maximum authorized threshold of 4 W/kg, specifies the ANFR press release. This is also a European standard. “This is the first time that Apple is concerned by this type of procedure for one of its models, and this only concerns the iPhone 12,” explained Jean-Noël Barrot in the columns of Le Parisien.
The Minister Delegate in charge of Digital and Telecommunications indicated, in his interview with Le Parisien, that the “European standard” set at 4 W/kg for the member DAS “is ten times lower than the level of emissions which, according to scientific studies, may have consequences for users. There is therefore, according to Jean-Noël Barrot, no reason to worry if you are an iPhone 12 user.
But in fact, what are the consequences of exposure to too high a SAR? The site consofutur.com states that the studies which have been carried out on this subject have not proven “the harmfulness of waves on our health, nor the link between the risks of cancer and a high SAR”. However, as the site recalls, the National Agency for Health Safety, Food, Environment and Labor (ANSES) nevertheless indicated, in a publication updated in 2018, that the International Center for Research on cancer has placed radiofrequencies in its list of possible carcinogens for the biggest users of smartphones.
ANSES also added that studies, carried out on animals, have also reported effects of the use of these devices on sleep, cognitive performance and even fertility, specifies consofutur.com. However, the agency was unable to “establish a causal link between the biological effects” and “possible resulting health effects”.
On Apple’s side, the situation seemed not to worry the company too much. The brand has so far firmly contested the ANFR’s decision and specified that the iPhone 12 is “compliant with all SAR regulations and standards applicable around the world”. Apple has indicated that it will continue to communicate with the French authorities until the situation is resolved and the iPhone 12’s conformity proven.
Digital Minister Jean-Noël Badot brings us some good news: Apple has decided to make an update. He assures “The manufacturer assured me that it would implement an update on the iPhone 12 in the coming days” announces Jean-Noël Badot. The update will be closely monitored by the ANFR, in fact, they will have two weeks to carry out laboratory tests. If these are conclusive, we will see the iPhone 12 again in stores and on websites.
