This is something that Apple would have done without, at the very moment of launching its new iPhones. This September 12, the National Frequency Agency (ANFR) published a press release asking Apple to update the iPhone 12, whose wave emissions were measured as higher than those established by regulations. The ANFR also threatens the brand with ordering the withdrawal of the iPhone 12 from circulation, while its marketing is now prohibited.
Despite the unprecedented nature of this announcement about Apple, there is no reason to believe that the iPhone 12 represents a danger to the health of users. In its controls, the ANFR tested the three types of SAR (specific absorption rate) of the iPhone 12: the head SAR (wave emissions when the smartphone is brought close to the ear) the trunk SAR (when the smartphone is carried close of the bust), for example in a jacket pocket), and the DAS limbo (when the smartphone is held in the hand or stored in the pants pocket).
Safety margin
If the iPhone 12 meets the target in the first two cases, it exceeds the member SAR regulatory value, with a measured value of 5.7 W/kg, compared to a maximum standard of 4 W/kg.
The 4 W/kg standard was determined by an NGO, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, which has the consensus of scientists. It is based on laboratory measurements, especially in rodents, to determine the threshold above which electromagnetic waves have a biological effect, that is, the heating of human tissues.
As specified by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) site, this level was set at 40 W/kg for the extremities (hands and legs), compared to 20 W/kg for the trunk and head. To better control the massive use of mobile devices, a factor of 10 has been applied as a safety margin. This results in maximum values of 2 W/kg for the head and trunk SAR, and 4 W/kg for the extremity SAR.
The DAS: a maximum measure
With a measured member SAR of 5.7 W/kg, the iPhone 12 still has a comfortable margin before reaching the consensus level set by the ICNIRP.
Furthermore, the ANFR member DAS measurement does not in any way correspond to average mobile phone usage. “Laboratory measurements do not reflect what happens during normal use of the device,” reminds the national agency on its site. In reality, wave emissions can only reach such levels under extremely degraded network access conditions.
In fact, it is unlikely that iPhone 12 users have been regularly exposed to the level of wave emission measured by the ANFR laboratory, which has also been studying this issue for about a year.
This operation, however, makes it possible to extract simple recommendations for those who wish to limit their exposure to the waves: make calls when the network is of good quality and, as far as possible, keep the device away from the ear using the speakerphone function or headphones.
Source: BFM TV
