PARIS (Reuters) – Consumer electronics giant Apple said on Wednesday that it contested the conclusions of the ANFR, which announced on Tuesday the ban on the marketing of the iPhone 12 in France due to a problem of electromagnetic wave emission above the authorized threshold.
The American group specified that it would continue its discussions with the French frequency agency to demonstrate that the device meets the standards.
The ANFR asked Apple on Tuesday to withdraw its iPhone 12 from the French market following an excess of the specific absorption rate (SAR) limit observed on this model.
The ANFR ordered Apple to implement all available means to quickly remedy this malfunction. “Failing that, it will be up to Apple to recall the copies already sold,” she added.
The agency indicated that it would send sworn agents to verify that the iPhones 12 are no longer offered for sale in all distribution channels available in France.
For its part, Apple argued that the iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international organizations and indicated that it had provided the ANFR with results carried out by independent laboratories attesting to the conformity of the model.
“A simple way to resolve the problem would be a software update,” the entourage of Digital Minister Jean Noël Barrot told Reuters.
“There is no question of recalling the model for the moment but the minister is ready to do so if Apple does not comply with existing rules,” we add.
Germany’s Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) said on Wednesday that the French authorities’ decision could have implications across Europe.
“The French procedure serves as a guideline for the whole of Europe,” the German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) said, adding that it could launch similar procedures in Germany.
Industry experts believe there are no health risks from exceeding the SAR limit because regulatory thresholds have been set well below the levels where scientists have found evidence of toxicity.
A large number of studies have been carried out over the past two decades to assess the health risks associated with mobile phones. According to the World Health Organization, no adverse effects have been established to date.
(Written by Tangi Salaün and Blandine Hénault, with Elizabeth Pineau, Mathieu Rosemain, Tassilo Hummel, Hakan Ersen and Jennifer Rigby, edited by Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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