EXCLUSIVE: iPhone 12 radiation fears: FDA is ‘reviewing’ Apple handsets after reports they are radioactive – after France halted sales

US health officials are investigating reports that the iPhone 12 emits harmful levels of radiation – after sales in Europe were temporarily halted over safety fears.

A spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – which is partly responsible for mobile phone safety – told DailyMail.com that the agency was “reviewing the available information.”

It comes after a regulator in France this week asked Apple to stop selling the 2020 iPhone 12, with tests showing the device emits levels of radiation that exceed EU restrictions.

Germany, Belgium and Spain have all indicated that they could follow this example. Apple has disputed the findings, but the news has reignited deep-seated fears about the health and use of cell phones.

In 2021, the year after the model’s release, more than 81 million iPhones were sold in the United States. It is unclear how many Americans still own a device that is now three years old.

In a statement to DailyMail.com, a spokesperson 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 advance our understanding of a particular issue and assist in our mission to protect public health.

“The FDA is reviewing the available information.”

The agency is responsible for regulating phone securitylong at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The FCC declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com.

The Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR) initially raised the alarm on Tuesday, claiming the iPhone 12 had failed the latest round of routine tests – with radiation levels 40 percent above what the regulator says is acceptable.

But most experts say that even if the higher radiation levels are true, they are “not sufficient” enough to harm people.

There are long-standing concerns about the effects of phones on health, which have previously been linked to brain cancer and fertility problems, but these have never been conclusively proven.

Dr. Devra Davis, an epidemiologist who has been studying the dangers of phone radio frequencies since the early 2000s, told DailyMail.com that the FDA should “absolutely” investigate the iPhone 12.

“Why should the French be protected more than Americans?” she added.

Dr. Joel Moskowitz, who researches the adverse effects of cell phone radiation at the University of California, Berkeley, said he hoped the reports from France would prompt an investigation.

He told DailyMail.com: ‘I hope the French Apple 12 emissions debacle prompts an independent investigation in the US into SAR testing procedures for authorization for all wireless devices.

“In 2012, at the request of Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report raising significant concerns about the SAR testing protocol, but this was ignored by the FCC.”

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was reviewing available information about the iPhone 12

A graph of mobile phone radiation exposure from the German Federal Office for Radiation (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz), compiled last year by the Digital Information World

In routine testing, French regulators found that the iPhone 12 emitted radiation levels 40 percent above the permitted level when next to a human.

Mobile phone radiation in Europe is measured using the specific absorption rate (SAR), or the amount of energy absorbed by the body from a given source per kilogram of body weight.

More than 100 million iPhone 12s have been sold worldwide, while an estimated 135 million people in the US own an iPhone.

In 2021, a year after the release of the iPhone 12, the number of iPhone owners was approximately 116 million users.

French digital minister Jean-Noel Barrot emphasized that the radiation levels from the iPhone 12 were much lower than those that could cause damage according to scientific studies.

He added that a software update could solve the problem.

Dr. Rodney Croft, a neurophysiologist in Australia and chairman of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, said: ‘From a health and safety point of view, it doesn’t put anyone at risk.’

The safety levels – based on the risk of burns or heatstroke from the phone’s radiation – are already ten times lower than the level at which scientists have found evidence of damage.

Dr. Croft added that France’s findings may differ from those of other regulators because measurement methods vary between different regulators.

France previously stopped sales of 42 smartphones in the country due to radiation concerns. It is the first time that Apple has been affected.

Apple currently has two weeks to respond, but has already said it will release a software update to fix the problem.

French regulators say they must test the software before they can put the phone back on the market.

The software update only affects phones in France, and not phones in other countries, she added.

Previous research has shown that exposure to radiation from phones can cause everything from cancer to fertility problems.

But many researchers try to throw cold water on these results, saying the tests were done on animals and the exposure levels were very high to cause the problem.

“Currently there is no strong evidence that exposure to electromagnetic fields while using mobile phones is associated with adverse health effects,” says Maria Feychting, professor of epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.

‘However, there are still some uncertainties and further research is needed, especially regarding the higher frequencies that will be used by 5G.’

It’s worth pointing out that the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an offshoot of the WHO, has previously claimed that certain radio frequencies at extreme levels are “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

However, this is considered unlikely.

Apple said in a statement that its phone met global standards but that it would “release a software update for users in France to address the protocol used by French regulators.”

They added: ‘This is due to a specific testing protocol used by French regulators and is not a safety issue.’

The iPhone 12 was first released in September 2020 and is still sold worldwide, although Apple is now looking to phase it out after the release of the iPhone 15.

Apple technical support representatives are told not to provide any information about the phones.

DailyMail.com contacted Apple for comment.