Health officials in the USA are reportedly looking into the levels of radiation emitted from the iPhone 12. It comes after sales were paused in France over safety concerns.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is partly in control of mobile phone safety, says the agency is “reviewing the available information” about the device. It comes after French regulators asked Apple to stop selling the 2020 device, saying its radiation levels exceed the EU limits.
According to the Daily Mail, Germany, Belgium and Spain could follow suit. Apple however is said to disagree with the findings from the French officials.
Over 81 million devices were sold in the US in the year after the iPhone 12 was released. Although it is unclear how many are still in use, as the device is now over three years old.
In a statement to DailyMail.com, an FDA spokesman said: “In general, the FDA does not comment on specific studies or test results, but evaluates them as part of the body of evidence to further our understanding about a particular issue and assist in our mission to protect public health. The FDA is reviewing the available information.”
The FDA is responsible for regulating mobile phones along with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC has not commented on the latest developments.
The Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) last week said it detected too much electromagnetic radiation from iPhone 12 devices. It told tech giant Apple to fix the issue.
Jean-Noel Barrot, France’s digital minister, said Apple was due to release a fix to solve the problem. He said the device would be tested again before being put back on the shelves.
The routine testing from the ANFR found the radiation levels were around 40% higher than permitted. Barrot however stressed they were not at a level considered harmful.
France has previously stopped the sale of 42 different phones for similar reasons. This is howver the first time an Apple device has been hit by the rules.
In a statement, Apple said the radiation finding in France was “related to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and not a safety concern”, reports the BBC.
The firm said the iPhone 12 complied with emissions rules worldwide, but it would “issue a software update for users in France to accommodate the protocol used by French regulators”. It also told BBC News earlier this week that it would contest the ANFR review.
While the iPhone 12 is still sold across the globe, reports suggest it would soon be phased out. This could happen following the release of the iPhone 15.
Apple is yet to release a comment on the iPhone 12 being reviewed by the FDA.
