The Dutch digital regulator is investigating a French report that Apple iPhone 12 models violated EU radiation exposure limits and will demand an explanation from the U.S. company, Algemeen Dagblad quoted an official as saying.
France’s National Frequency Agency (ANFR) told Apple on Tuesday to stop selling the iPhone 12 in France after tests showed the phone’s specific absorption rate (SAR) – a measure of the rate at which the human body absorbs radio frequency energy from a device – was higher than legally allowed.
“The standards have been exceeded. Fortunately, there is no serious safety risk, but we will be talking to the manufacturer soon,” Angeline van Dijk, an inspector with the Netherlands’ national digital infrastructure inspector (RDI), told a Dutch newspaper.
“The Netherlands, like France, takes the safe use of mobile phones seriously. Mobile phones must comply with European regulations.”
German network regulator BNetzA said it may launch similar procedures and is in close contact with French authorities, while Spanish consumer group OCU urged local authorities to stop sales of iPhone 12.
Apple said in a statement that the iPhone 12 launched in 2020 has been certified by multiple international agencies as compliant with global radiation standards, and provided multiple Apple and third-party laboratory results to prove that the phone meets the requirements of French agencies, and Its findings are being questioned.
ANFR said it will send agents to Apple stores and other resellers to check whether the model is no longer for sale.
The company said it expected Apple to “use all available means to stop the violations,” and failure to take action would result in the recall of iPhone 12 units sold to consumers.
The AFNR said that in tests conducted by accredited laboratories that simulated holding a cell phone in the hand or in a pants pocket, the human body absorbed 5.74 watts of electromagnetic energy per kilogram. The European standard is a specific absorption rate of 4.0 W/kg.
ANFR added that tests showed that the phone complied with so-called body SAR standards when it was placed in a jacket pocket or bag.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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