Apple recently put out a statement saying that iPhone 12 has been certified by several international regulators as compliant with radiation exposure limits. This was in reply to France’s radiation watchdog (ANFR) claiming otherwise.
The tech behemoth, which just launched iPhone 15 series, said it has independent third-party lab results that show that it complies with all Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) standards globally.
Earlier, the ANFR released a public statement noting that the iPhone 12 breaches radiation levels, and asked Apple to temporarily halt iPhone 12 sales until it reaches a viable solution.
“The French National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) is instructing Apple to withdraw the iPhone 12 from the French market as of September 12, 2023, after the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) limit for this model was exceeded,” the French agency said in a statement.
“ANFR enjoins Apple to implement all available means to rapidly remedy this malfunction. Failing this, Apple will be required to recall any units already sold,” it added.
The most common EU SAR limit of 2 W/kg represents an average over 10 g of tissue absorbing the most signal, reported TechCrunch. This limit is a bit higher than the FCC limit in the U.S. (1.6 W/kg). The iPhone 12 radiation level is said to be within this SAR limit.
However, the ANFR measured an SAR of 5.74 W/kg, which is above the limit of 4 W/kg.
France’s junior minister for telecommunications, Jean-Noel Barrot, told Le Parisien that Apple has some time to comply with French regulations before further action is taken.
