Should we be worried if we used an iPhone 12, withdrawn from the French market for emitting too powerful waves? Probably not, as the regulatory thresholds are set extremely low compared to the risks established by research, which are themselves few in number.
The marketing of the iPhone 12, Apple’s phone released in 2020, was suspended by French authorities because measurements concluded that these devices emitted waves to an excessive degree compared to regulations.
Concretely, according to the National Frequency Agency (ANFR), the iPhone 12 exceeds the regulatory limit value by 1.74 watts per kilogram (W / kg).
This does not mean, however, that the users of these devices have put themselves in danger, for several reasons linked to the authorities’ application of the precautionary principle.
In view of the research on the subject, the International Commission for Protection against Non-Ionizing Radiation, an NGO which is a reference in France and Europe, estimates that human limbs must absorb at least 40 watts per kilogram (W / kg) to lead to a rise in temperature which is harmful to health.
But it sets a maximum threshold ten times lower at 4 W / kg. Why such a margin? Because the average consumer cannot measure for themselves the degree of waves emitted by their device. It is therefore a question of counting widely to avoid any truly excessive exposure.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “there is currently no evidence that exposure to low-intensity electromagnetic fields is dangerous to human health.”
There are in fact few proven links between health problems and exposure to radio frequencies, i.e. the electromagnetic waves emitted by telephones or other devices such as Wi-Fi hotspots.
In recent years, a significant body of research has been established to measure the link between these waves and different pathologies such as cancer, infertility or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. No link has been confirmed.
One effect, however, is clearly established: at high doses, these waves can increase the body temperature, either of the entire organism or of the limbs in contact with the device.
It is mainly to limit this effect, the health risks of which themselves remain uncertain, that the authorities set thresholds not to be exceeded.
In the case of the iPhone 12, it should be noted that the threshold exceeded only concerns the absorption of waves by the members in very close contact with the device and not the body as a whole when the phone is, for example, worn in a bag.
In any case, the thresholds used by the authorities are extremely low compared to the links established by the scientific literature between body temperature and exposure to waves.
The decision to suspend the marketing of the iPhone 12 in France is “consistent” with the recommendations made for years by ANSES (the National Agency for Health, Food, Environment and Labor Safety ), however, explains Olivier Merckel, head of the agency’s risk assessment unit linked to new technologies.
Namely: “limit your exposure, use a hands-free kit, prevent children from using a telephone for too long too often and make phone calls in good reception conditions”, in order to reduce exposure to waves, specifies- he told AFP.