On Thursday, Belgium announced that it would investigate the potential health concerns associated with Apple’s iPhone 12, raising the possibility that additional European countries would ban the model after France stopped sales due to violations of radiation exposure restrictions. In France’s case, the sales halt was issued because the device exceeded radiation exposure limits.
On the other hand, it appeared that there was no immediate possibility of an EU-wide ban, as the European Commission stated that it would wait for response from other EU countries before deciding on any action.
The French regulatory agency informed the European Union member states on Wednesday that they have until the end of the quarter to submit their feedback. Some nations, such as Italy, have stated that they will not take any actions at this time.
Apple disputes the conclusions of the French study, claiming that the iPhone 12, now considered an older model because it was released in 2020, was approved by various international organizations as being in compliance with radiation guidelines.
Over the past two decades, researchers have carried out a huge number of studies to evaluate the dangers that mobile phones pose to users’ health. According to the World Health Organization, no evidence suggests that using them could hurt one’s health.
Following the actions taken by the French government, the Belgian regulator is investigating the matter, according to Mathieu Michel, the state secretary for digitalization in Belgium.
“We immediately asked the IBPT (Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications) for confirmation, or at least an analysis, and this is currently under way,” he stated.
In addition, Michel requested that the authority investigate all of Apple’s mobile phones as well as those manufactured by other companies at a later time.
On the other hand, he emphasized that European standards were exceedingly conservative and that there were no urgent worries over the product’s safety.
“So that’s why today it’s obviously a limit which is being crossed (according to the French regulator), and that’s not acceptable. However, in terms of health and safety, I don’t think there’s any reason to think that we’re all going to turn into little green men.” [Cause and effect] “So that’s why today it’s obviously a limit which is being crossed (according to the French regulator], and that’s not acceptable.”
The radiation test that was carried out in 2021 in France had been completed by the iPhone 12.
Reiterating that the work being done in France may serve as a model for the rest of Europe, the German network regulator known as BNetzA stated that it would investigate the German market if the procedure in France had advanced far enough at that point.
WATCHING OVER
The Dutch digital watchdog has also stated that it is investigating the problem and will request an explanation from the American company emphasizing that there is “no acute safety risk.”
In the meantime, Italy’s Ministry of Industry stated that it was watching the issue but would not be taking any action for the time being.
Portugal’s telecoms regulator, ANACOM, stated that it was following and analyzing developments in conjunction with France and that it expected one of two likely outcomes: either Apple would rectify the problem, or Brussels would order EU member states “to adopt proportional measures” if Apple did not rectify the situation.
In light of the decision made in France, Britain, one of the countries where the iPhone 12 was released having satisfied radiation safety regulations, has not declared any plans in response.
The regulatory limitations, predicated on the risk of burns or heatstroke from the phone’s radiation, were set much below levels where scientists have found evidence of harm. As a result, industry experts stated that there were no safety hazards.
In 2017, Apple’s sales in Europe amounted to over $95 billion, placing the area in second place behind the Americas in terms of overall revenue. According to several estimates, the company sold over 50 million iPhones in Europe in 2017.
On Tuesday, Apple introduced the iPhone 15, and as of today, the three-year-old iPhone 12 is no longer sold by Apple online in France or any of the other European nations. Apple does not provide sales data broken down by region or model, but the company did announce that it will unveil the iPhone 15 on Tuesday. On the other hand, it is available for purchase via other parties, such as Amazon France.
It is unlikely that restricting sales of the iPhone 12 will have much of an effect on the company. DA Davidson analyst Tom Forte said, “Our level of concern would increase if more recent models were involved.”
According to Forte, Apple may have more significant challenges in other regions, such as the possibility of restrictions on the usage of iPhones in China and new data regulations in Europe.
