France Orders End to iPhone 12 Sales Over Radiation Level Concerns

[transmaster]

I am a ham radio operator, I know a great deal about RF fields. This is total bovine scatology. France just hates American HiTech companies.

Here are the published figures for the iPhone 12. It should be noted some of the iPhone 12's used Intel, instead of Qualcomm radio chips.

Model A2341​

1.6 W/kg (over 1 g) SAR Limit
Head: 1.16
Body: 1.17

2.0 W/kg (over 10 g) SAR Limit
Head: 0.99
Body: 0.99

Model A2406​

1.6 W/kg (over 1 g) SAR Limit
Head: 1.17
Body: 1.19

2.0 W/kg (over 10 g) SAR Limit
Head: 0.99
Body: 0.99

Model A2407, 
A2408, 
A2409​

1.6 W/kg (over 1 g) SAR Limit
Head: 1.18
Body: 1.14

2.0 W/kg (over 10 g) SAR Limit
Head: 0.99
Body: 0.99

 

[steve333]

Wow, a Government that actually looks out for it's people.
Not used to that in our bought and paid for Congress

 

[4odomi]

I'm French and French media told us that this issue applied only for iPhone 12. 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 PM are not concerned by this issue. source: https://www.igen.fr/iphone/2023/09/...-linterdiction-de-liphone-12-en-france-139299

Moreover the emission was fine at launch for EU standard (<4W/kg) but when ANFR did again the test 3 years later, the emission measure was increased to 5.7W/kg. According to many experts, you need to reach 40W/kg before having realistic health risk.

If the test is valid, Apple would be forced to push a software update to reduce emissions - which is easily feasible as this is how the emission has increased over time - but it may reduce modem performance.

Thanks for sharing the local input on this.
I for one don't believe any media these days or ANFR....I would like to know how many phones they tested, this sounds like another run on Apple by the EU.

 

[4odomi]

That does sound like the most likely explanation. Considering the number of bugs in recent iOS releases it's somewhat more plausible that they didn't bother to check whether updates changed the emitted levels.

Which is concerning considering 4W/kg is already pretty high for a max limit.

If it's been caused by the software upgrades? why is the 12 Pro & 12 Pro Max not affected?
This sounds like an over zealous eurocrat added 2 & 2 together and got 6 😏

 

[4odomi]

If this is true, then Apple may have some huge lawsuits on their hands & deservedly so.

In which case, why is only the standard 12 affected?

 

[4odomi]

The article picture does not look accurate. The report pertains to the iPhone 12 (the phone on the left) and not to the iPhone 12 Pro (which is the phone on the right). I suggest the author remove the iPhone 12 Pro picture.

I suspect the author has not done the required amount of home work and probably isn't aware that this allegation only refers to the standard 12

 

[4odomi]

France says the radiation exceeds safe levels. Do you have evidence to contradict that?

France says, is not exactly evidence is it ?

 

[Lcgiv]

You get more actual ionizing radiation (the kind that actually damages) from a banana.

Shhhhhh “science” doesn’t want to hear you

 

[falainber]

The French are using a dumb method for measuring radiation. There's more radiation coming out of our grandmother's television.

What method do the need to use? Do educate us. BTW, do you even know which method they use?

 

[sviato]

If it's been caused by the software upgrades? why is the 12 Pro & 12 Pro Max not affected?
This sounds like an over zealous eurocrat added 2 & 2 together and got 6 😏

This is such simple thinking, we don’t know why it’s this particular model hence why they’ve flagged it

 

[Tagbert]

HELP!!! We are turning into mutants!

Everybody choose your power!

 

[Tagbert]

Does this include my 12 mini? How do I get a new phone that is safe?

Are you sure that your 12 mini is not safe? There are no indications that RF radiation like this is harmful. Just a lot of supposition.

 

[Zest28]

What are those people with iPhone 12's going to do? Good thing Apple just released their latest iPhone 15!!!

 

[_Spinn_]

I'm French and French media told us that this issue applied only for iPhone 12. 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 PM are not concerned by this issue. source: https://www.igen.fr/iphone/2023/09/...-linterdiction-de-liphone-12-en-france-139299

Moreover the emission was fine at launch for EU standard (<4W/kg) but when ANFR did again the test 3 years later, the emission measure was increased to 5.7W/kg. According to many experts, you need to reach 40W/kg before having realistic health risk.

If the test is valid, Apple would be forced to push a software update to reduce emissions - which is easily feasible as this is how the emission has increased over time - but it may reduce modem performance.

Thank you for posting this. It is interesting that only the regular iPhone 12 has the issue.

 

[MyPhone99]

time to upgrade to 15 series. wait did they test the 15 series yet?

 

[DownUnderDan]

How should Apple respond? Well, tell them that iPhone 12 is discontinued as of 9/12/2023.

Not gonna happen. They should fight it, as their finding is just pure quackery. If they lose the appeal, they should pull out of French market entirely as form of protest.

Or they could put away the battle flag and just fix their product.

 

[canonical]

Do you really not understand the point about using recycled copper as opposed to newly mined copper?

Makes absolutely no difference. There is a finite current world wide supply of copper: some of it is 'mined' from material that is already mined from the ground (recycled), and some of it is mined fresh. There is only so much supply, and if Apple buys the recycled version, some one else buys the freshly mined version. And if Apple buys the freshly mined version, someone else buys the recycled version. Only so much copper, and copper is copper. If you think it makes a difference, then you probably pay extra for your airplane flight to be 'carbon neutral' in the belief that that actually changes the damage your flight is making.

 

[canonical]

No, the reason everyone says there is no problem with mobile phone radiation is because its wavelength is not short enough for photons to have enough energy to ionize biological tissues, regardless of power output.

Do you make this nonsense up yourself? Maybe you should read:

Neuroscience Letters 412 "Exposure to cell phone radiation up-regulates apoptosis genes in primary cultures of neurons and astrocytes" ... in brief:

"The results show that even relatively short-term exposure to cell phone radio frequency emissions can up-regulate elements of apoptotic pathways in cells derived from the brain... Cell phone emissions thus have the potential to cause dysfunction or cell death through activation of specific intracellular cell death signalling pathways"

 

[canonical]

Yeah but but but…. we are carbon free and 100% recycling right now

While spending $1 billion consuming the earth's scarce resources to build a fancy new corporate HQ. I love the hypocrisy of the world's leading consumerism company ... that actively encourages its users to update their perfectly adequate existing phones/computers every year for the latest model that has some minor benefit ... to also advocate that that rampant consumerism gone wrong is all fine and dandy, cos we're recycling, and have a fat black boss lady watching over our enviro program. Frankly, I thought that was the most boring Apple product release I've ever seen.

 

[Luis Ortega]

EDIT: just read @Lwii2boo explanation, apparently they increased it via software updates. Makes sense.

If they did that knowingly, it’s serious, like when Volkswagen fiddled its emission data to fool everyone.

 

[webkit]

... that actively encourages its users to update their perfectly adequate existing phones/computers every year for the latest model that has some minor benefit ...

How is Apple any worse than all of the other phone makers that introduce new phones every year? Apple, like the competition, may introduce new phones every year but that certainly doesn't mean people have to buy every year. Most consumers don't.

Apple also make it LESS necessary to get a new iPhone as often by offering OS and security updates for about twice as long on average as Android devices. Because of that, it also makes iPhones more appealing in the resale market where people can buy used instead of new. Android phones on average end up having to be "junked" and replaced more often than iPhones.

 

[MYZ]

If it's been caused by the software upgrades? why is the 12 Pro & 12 Pro Max not affected?
This sounds like an over zealous eurocrat added 2 & 2 together and got 6 😏

Do you not realize that the regular and pro versions have different antenna designs?

 

[canonical]

I am not troubled in the slightest by Apple's consumerism: that IS their job - to sell us cool products. That's what makes the company and economy grow. I do however think that their attempt to portray themselves as all squeaky clean and enviro friendly ... is about as believable as airlines telling us that you can fly carbon neutral. And I also don't think that should be the focus of their presentations. If they had their health priorities right, we wouldn't have this health scare from a respected French regulatory body.

 

[jjudson]

I've been wondering why my balls have been glowing.

Maybe I need to put the phone in my back pocket...

 

[grjj]

France says the radiation exceeds safe levels. Do you have evidence to contradict that?

No-one is denying France said that. We're saying they're ******* crazy for saying it

The evidence debunking the claim is overwhelming and I'll post just two of them here:

Scientific Evidence for Cell Phone Safety

The scientific evidence does not show consistent or credible evidence of health problems caused by the exposure to radio frequency energy emitted by cell phones

www.fda.gov

Base stations and wireless technologies

Mobile telephony is now commonplace around the world. This wireless technology relies upon an extensive network of fixed antennas, or base stations, relaying information with radiofrequency (RF) signals.

www.who.int

Those two pages represent the findings of two MAJOR health institutions and thousands of scientists, doctors and medical experts.
The evidence that cellular/wifi emissions are harmful boils down to a few crackpots saying so and others jumping on the bandwagon.

Let's just look at the basics:
in a 1,000W microwave oven the radio waves penetrate the food about ½"(1.4cm). (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Waves/mwoven.html)
An average cellphone at full power puts out .6W (600mw) and could, at best, penetrate the body by a few cells of the epidermis. The signal never gets to the dermis, bone or organs where people claim all the damage is happening