Law Firm Sues Apple and Samsung, Claiming Phones Exceed Radiofrequency Radiation Safety Levels

[Arcus]

Meh , Im too old to care at this point.

 

[crescentmoon]

This has been tried before as far back as the 1990's ... Long term harm from higher rates of cancer have yet to be proven.

 

[now i see it]

So even apple says to hold the iPhone 7 at least 10mm away from your body to minimize RF exposure.
So no iPhone in the pockets.

As far as I know, the hand is a part of the body. How are we going to hold something 10mm away from the hand? Ski mittens? Seems to me that Apple has made its billions pulling a fast one on the human race.
"Enhancing People's Lives"

 

[cmaas]

I don't think I've talked with a phone smashed up against my face in about seven years. Airpods, Jabra, wired earbuds, CarPlay, etc. So unless the radiation travels over bluetooth into my brain, I'm not too worried.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Why not sue tobacco and vape companies instead? Both are more damaging in a short term.
We may die sooner from pollution, UV radiation, excessive prescription of X-Rays and flooding rather than by a tiny amount of radiation coming from a phone.

 

[locoboi187]

This is serious and should be taken seriously.

 

[ThatGuyInLa]

RF does not give you cancer. It cooks your food. It could cook you too with high enough energy. A sad fact of how it was adapted for use in our kitchens. Some poor bastard working on a radar got his guts cooked, but no cancer.

 

[sbnd]

There is so much misinformation about health effects of radio frequencies. As a doc and an engineer, I recently reviewed the research on health effects of cell phone radio frequency waves and feel there's enough evidence of harm that we should be conducting more research to better understand the effects. At the very least, claiming radio waves have no effects other than tissue heating is incorrect. See:
buesingnaturopathic.com/5g-health-effects

 

[Analog Kid]

I’m going to start a class action lawsuit against Yankee Candle because their candles radiate high frequency electromagnetic radiation.

If they suggested you hold it to your ear, you might... ?

 

[Menny Drives]

Do you ever spend time in an active microwave?

There's a lot of dumb on the internet, so some simple napkin math:

The iPhone XR has a 12 watt-hour battery and 25 hours of talk time. So, assuming you've got the phone plastered to your face, which you'd pretty much only be doing if you were talking on it, and also assuming that, miraculously, 100% of that wattage is going into the radio signal going in and out, that's half a watt of electromagnetic radiation.

A consumer microwave, which, you know, cooks food, runs from 1,000 to 2,000 watts while active.

This is like worrying about your electric hand warmer burning you because it uses the same heating coils as a space heater.

... actually, the hand warmer is actually a much bigger risk than a phone 'cause it typically eats 20 times as much wattage to generate its heat as the previously-mentioned XR, and the infrared electromagnetic radiation coming out of it is in the terahertz range, literally thousands of times higher than a cell phone radio's gigahertz range.

For whatever reason, I think we'll all be fine and the current stateside limits on electromagnetic power are bloody stupid.

 

[Analog Kid]

So even apple says to hold the iPhone 7 at least 10mm away from your body to minimize RF exposure.
So no iPhone in the pockets.

As far as I know, the hand is a part of the body. How are we going to hold something 10mm away from the hand? Ski mittens? Seems to me that Apple has made its billions pulling a fast one on the human race.
"Enhancing People's Lives"

Extremities are regulated differently.

I don't think I've talked with a phone smashed up against my face in about seven years. Airpods, Jabra, wired earbuds, CarPlay, etc. So unless the radiation travels over bluetooth into my brain, I'm not too worried.

Bluetooth is radiation...

 

[Marekul]

Exactly. I don't know how many times I've tried to explain to my dad that "emf" is on the opposite end of the spectrum of the radiation that can give you cancer - physics dictate that the worst that can happen to you from these frequencies is that you might get a little warm.

Edit to add: They might have been able to get away with suing for damages because of exceeding the federal limits, but since they're asking to pay for medical monitoring, I wonder if they are going to have to try to prove that there is a medical danger from being exposed to this radiation (which they won't be able to do). It would be great if this turned into a high-profile case that finally laid this insanity to rest.

At the opposite end, just like a microwave oven...

 

[MoreRumors?]

The simple solution is to use the landline at home, business and pay phone and stop using cellphones.

 

[Analog Kid]

There's a lot of dumb on the internet, so some simple napkin math:

The iPhone XR has a 12 watt-hour battery and 25 hours of talk time. So, assuming you've got the phone plastered to your face, which you'd pretty much only be doing if you were talking on it, and also assuming that, miraculously, 100% of that wattage is going into the radio signal going in and out, that's half a watt of electromagnetic radiation.

A consumer microwave, which, you know, cooks food, runs from 1,000 to 2,000 watts while active.

You're confusing near field and far field RF and confusing your retinal neurons with yesterday's meatloaf. Other than that your analogy is spot on. ?

 

[Menny Drives]

The simple solution is to use the landline at home, business and pay phone and stop using cellphones.

The complicated solution is to spend fifteen minutes learning how electromagnetic radiation and numbers work. Higher frequency and higher intensity sources of "radiation" from your phone:

• Heat (Infrared radiation, THz range)
• RGB (Visible light radiation, 100s of THz range)

The radio is in the GHz range. It's like looking at someone holding a loaded firearm and being worried about the impact damage from a pistol-whipping.

 

[Kabeyun]

Aside from the dubious implication that there’s harm, required for a successful suit, I doubt they even have standing to bring this action.

The FCC, Apple and Samsung should all be held liable for this.

For what, pray tell?

 

[Analog Kid]

The complicated solution is to spend fifteen minutes learning how electromagnetic radiation and numbers work. Higher frequency and higher intensity sources of "radiation" from your phone:

• Heat (Infrared radiation, THz range)
• RGB (Visible light radiation, 100s of THz range)

The radio is in the GHz range. It's like looking at someone holding a loaded firearm and being worried about the impact damage from a pistol-whipping.

As opposed to looking at someone wearing brass knuckles and thinking "no bullets, I'm safe".

 

[Jimmy James]

There's a lot of dumb on the internet, so some simple napkin math:

The iPhone XR has a 12 watt-hour battery and 25 hours of talk time. So, assuming you've got the phone plastered to your face, which you'd pretty much only be doing if you were talking on it, and also assuming that, miraculously, 100% of that wattage is going into the radio signal going in and out, that's half a watt of electromagnetic radiation.

A consumer microwave, which, you know, cooks food, runs from 1,000 to 2,000 watts while active.

This is like worrying about your electric hand warmer burning you because it uses the same heating coils as a space heater.

... actually, the hand warmer is actually a much bigger risk than a phone 'cause it typically eats 20 times as much wattage to generate its heat as the previously-mentioned XR, and the infrared electromagnetic radiation coming out of it is in the terahertz range, literally thousands of times higher than a cell phone radio's gigahertz range.

For whatever reason, I think we'll all be fine and the current stateside limits on electromagnetic power are bloody stupid.

That’s a much better context for reply. The original post insinuates that RF is harmless, which it’s not.

 

[4tune8chance]

Chicago-based law firm Fegan Scott has levied a lawsuit against both Apple and Samsung, claiming that independent testing suggests the radiofrequency radiation levels in recent smartphones "far exceeded the federal limits" when used "as marketed by the manufacturers."

The basis for this lawsuit dates back to August, when The Chicago Tribune launched an investigation into the radiofrequency radiation levels output by popular smartphones.

RF Radiation Testing Results from a Chicago Times Investigation in August​

The paper hired an accredited lab to test several smartphones according to federal guidelines, and found that some of Apple's iPhones are allegedly emitting radiofrequency radiation that exceeds safety limits.

Apple disputed the results and in a statement, said that the testing was inaccurate "due to the test setup not being in accordance with procedures necessary to properly assess the ?iPhone? models."At the time, the FCC said that it would launch its own investigation into the results, and a day after The Chicago Tribune published its findings, the Fegan Scott law firm pledged to launch its own investigation into the claims.

Fegan Scott enlisted an FCC-accredited laboratory to do its own testing of six smartphone models at distances ranging from zero to 10 millimeters to measure the radiofrequency radiation emitted when touching or in close proximity to the body.

The lab that did the testing claims that at two millimeters, the iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8 were "more than twice the federal exposure limit" and at zero millimeters, the iPhone 8 was "five times more than the federal exposure limit."

After receiving the results, Fegan Scott has decided to launch an official lawsuit against both Apple and Samsung covering the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 8, the iPhone XR, the Galaxy S8, the Galaxy S9, and the Galaxy S10. From attorney Beth Fegan:According to Fegan Scott, the testing conducted by the lab reflects "actual use conditions" rather than the "conditions set by manufacturers," which means the testing was likely not done in the same way that Apple does its own internal testing. Apple, for example, tests at 5mm, not 0mm and 2mm.

The Chicago Tribune's original testing was done in a manner to simulate the worst possible scenario, with the phone operating in low signal and full power to create the maximum radiofrequency radiation level. It's not clear how the law firm's testing was carried out.

There is no evidence that radiofrequency radiation levels above the federal limits have the potential to cause harm, so consumers should not be alarmed at this time. The FCC is doing its own independent testing and those results should provide more insight into the safety of smartphones.

Apple tells its customers worried about radiofrequency radiation exposure to use a hands-free option, and some past iPhone models have included recommended carrying distances. With the iPhone 4 and 4s, for example, Apple said the smartphones should be held at least 10mm away from the body, and there was a similar suggestion made for the iPhone 7.

The lawsuit is seeking damages from Apple as well as funds to pay for medical monitoring.

Article Link: Law Firm Sues Apple and Samsung, Claiming Phones Exceed Radiofrequency Radiation Safety Levels

I will bet a pound to a peanut that all the law firm lawyers will still use their own phones as if they were safe. Would make for a fun counter defence if caught on video.

 

[Metrosey]

Free upgrades for all those effected if lawsuit passes? Haha

 

[unobtainium]

Lol at all the uninformed posters declaring unequivocally that radiation from cellphones can’t be harmful. The reality is we have mixed evidence from animal studies. Male rats had statistically significant increases in cancer due to equivalent radiation. The results in female rats and mice were equivocal.

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/news/newsroom/releases/2018/november1/index.cfm

This was a well designed and long awaited study and the results are pretty interesting. I wouldn’t stop using a cellphone as a result, it’s way too early for that. But I would keep an eye on future studies, and I would expect companies like Samsung and Apple to, at a bare minimum, remain within current federal guidelines.

 

[MoreRumors?]

The complicated solution is to spend fifteen minutes learning how electromagnetic radiation and numbers work. Higher frequency and higher intensity sources of "radiation" from your phone:

• Heat (Infrared radiation, THz range)
• RGB (Visible light radiation, 100s of THz range)

The radio is in the GHz range. It's like looking at someone holding a loaded firearm and being worried about the impact damage from a pistol-whipping.

That is a good analogy. Some forget that sun exposure is/can be dangerous too yet we all spend time outdoors at varying degree and often without adequate protection.

 

[s54]

Sure don't. Far more things in life to worry about.

Right. That new 90” LED TV is of utmost importance. So is the project you’re working on for your boss. Oh and pleasing a feminazi wife.

 

[MEJHarrison]

The FCC, Apple and Samsung should all be held liable for this.

So, no testing to validate that the accusations have merit? No trial? No opportunity for the accused to defend themselves? Ought we just toss out the constitution while we're at it? Or is it just Apple/Samsung that aren't entitled to their rights?

 

[ani4ani]

If true, they should be suing the FCC, since they blessed the devices for consumer use. You can't blame Apple or Samsung for complying with FCC radio power requirements. You need to change the standard that the FCC uses...this is baseless litigation.

hmm seem to think that was Volkswagen’s original defence