France Bans iPhone 12 Over Radiation, Belgium Considering Move
2023-09-15
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1Belgium says it plans to study possible health risks from electromagnetic radiation release by Apple's iPhone 12 smartphone.
2Belgium's move comes after French regulators ordered Apple to stop selling the iPhone 12.
3French officials said the phone creates more electromagnetic radiation than the European Union permits.
4Apple disputes this. The company said the device meets all requirements.
5The French government agency that oversees wireless communications frequencies said it issued the order after the phone failed one of two tests.
6The tests are related to the amount of electromagnetic waves the body can absorb.
7Apple released the iPhone 12 in late 2020.
8It is unclear why the phone did not pass the agency's latest tests or why only the iPhone 12 is affected.
9France's digital minister said the iPhone 12's radiation levels are still much lower than levels that scientific studies found could harm users.
10The French agency said its tests do not test normal phone use.
11The National Frequency Agency on Tuesday called on Apple to use all means to fix the problem for phones already in use.
12It said it would study updates to the phones.
13If they do not work, "Apple will have to recall" phones that have already been sold, it said.
14The agency recently tested 141 cellphones.
15It found that when the iPhone 12 is held in a hand or near the body, its level of electromagnetic energy absorption is 5.74 watts per kilogram.
16That is higher than the EU requirement of 4 watts per kilogram or less.
17Watts per kilogram is a measure of the rate at which energy is absorbed by the body.
18The phone passed a separate test of radiation levels for devices kept in heavy clothes or in a container, the agency said.
19Malcolm Sperrin is director of medical physics at Britain's Royal Berkshire hospital group.
20He said the radiation limits are set well below the level at which harm will happen.
21He said a small increase above those limits is unlikely to affect a person's health.
22Users of the iPhone 12 should be able to download an update that prevents the radiation from going above the limit, Sperrin said.
23It is not clear why this model appears to release higher radiation.
24But it might be related to when the phone is seeking a connection to send or receive signal, he said.
25The World Health Organization says it has not found any harm to health caused by the use of mobile phones.
26Apple said the iPhone 12 has been approved by many international bodies and meets requirements for radiation around the world.
27Belgium's latest action on the phone raises the possibility that other European countries might ban the model after France.
28Italy said it would take no steps for now.
29But Germany's network regulator BNetzA said that the work in France could act as a guide for Europe.
30The agency said that it might reconsider the smartphone for the German market if the situation progresses in France.
31A Dutch digital organization said it was looking into Apple's phone and would ask the U.S. company for an explanation.
32But it said that there was no immediate risk.
33Britain has not announced any plans after France's decision.
34I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Belgium says it plans to study possible health risks from electromagnetic radiation release by Apple's iPhone 12 smartphone. 2Belgium's move comes after French regulators ordered Apple to stop selling the iPhone 12. French officials said the phone creates more electromagnetic radiation than the European Union permits. Apple disputes this. The company said the device meets all requirements. 3The French government agency that oversees wireless communications frequencies said it issued the order after the phone failed one of two tests. The tests are related to the amount of electromagnetic waves the body can absorb. 4Apple released the iPhone 12 in late 2020. It is unclear why the phone did not pass the agency's latest tests or why only the iPhone 12 is affected. 5France's digital minister said the iPhone 12's radiation levels are still much lower than levels that scientific studies found could harm users. The French agency said its tests do not test normal phone use. 6The National Frequency Agency on Tuesday called on Apple to use all means to fix the problem for phones already in use. It said it would study updates to the phones. If they do not work, "Apple will have to recall" phones that have already been sold, it said. 7The agency recently tested 141 cellphones. It found that when the iPhone 12 is held in a hand or near the body, its level of electromagnetic energy absorption is 5.74 watts per kilogram. That is higher than the EU requirement of 4 watts per kilogram or less. 8Watts per kilogram is a measure of the rate at which energy is absorbed by the body. 9The phone passed a separate test of radiation levels for devices kept in heavy clothes or in a container, the agency said. 10Malcolm Sperrin is director of medical physics at Britain's Royal Berkshire hospital group. He said the radiation limits are set well below the level at which harm will happen. He said a small increase above those limits is unlikely to affect a person's health. 11Users of the iPhone 12 should be able to download an update that prevents the radiation from going above the limit, Sperrin said. 12It is not clear why this model appears to release higher radiation. But it might be related to when the phone is seeking a connection to send or receive signal, he said. 13The World Health Organization says it has not found any harm to health caused by the use of mobile phones. Apple said the iPhone 12 has been approved by many international bodies and meets requirements for radiation around the world. 14Other country's responses 15Belgium's latest action on the phone raises the possibility that other European countries might ban the model after France. 16Italy said it would take no steps for now. But Germany's network regulator BNetzA said that the work in France could act as a guide for Europe. The agency said that it might reconsider the smartphone for the German market if the situation progresses in France. 17A Dutch digital organization said it was looking into Apple's phone and would ask the U.S. company for an explanation. But it said that there was no immediate risk. 18Britain has not announced any plans after France's decision. 19I'm Gregory Stachel. 20Gregory Stachel adapted the story for VOA Learning English using material from The Associated Press and Reuters. 21___________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23frequency -n. the measure of radio waves used for communications 24regulate - v. to make rules or laws that control (something) 25absorb - v. to take in (something, such as a liquid) in a natural or gradual way 26digital - adj. using or characterized by computer technology 27update - n. a change or addition to computer software that includes the most recent information 28recall - v. to ask people to return (a product with a defect or problem)