Apple, Huawei, Samsung…. No operator escapes the controls of the National Frequency Agency. But experts say that current limits are not sufficient to limit the damage caused by radio waves to our body.
When a manufacturer wants to put a cell phone on the market, it goes through a number of tests and checks to ensure that it does not put consumers at risk. ANFR has identified 44 phones over the last 6 years on the French market. What is the impact of these measures?
The limited power of the ANFR
The agency which deals with regulations on radio frequencies in France has powers to withdraw a telephone from the national market, but it must follow a lengthy procedure which is subject to dispute. On September 12, 2023, it announced that the iPhone 12, produced by Apple, exceeded the wave limits authorized in France. However, she had known this since 2021, the year when a test revealed this problem.
Unfortunately for those who bought it as soon as it was released, the agency had to undergo a long period of contradictory exchanges with the American company to respect the official procedure before informing the public. The reason is simple: to avoid the trials that Apple’s lawyers would have been sure to inflict on it if it had taken shortcuts.
In addition, with the release of 5G, the agency had launched tests on a much larger scale than in previous years, which led to significant delays in the files. Companies were able to take advantage of this to sell their phones despite limits that were often flouted.
Obviously, they end up being forced to either withdraw their products or update them to comply, but the damage is often done, with dangerous devices being put in consumers’ ears for two years.
Insufficient limits according to some experts
Thresholds are decided at European level, and SAR tests are carried out 5 mm from the body, one wave at a time. The SAR, or Specific Absorption Rate, is the measurement of the energy transmitted by radio waves and absorbed by the human body. French health authorities have asked that these tests be modified to take into account the real use of phones, which are often stuck to the skin and emit more than one wave at a time, with 4G, 5G , Wi-Fi, or even Bluetooth.
The “cocktail of waves” could prove to be much more dangerous than we think for the human body. Clinical trials carried out by the National Toxicology Program in the USA indicate an increase in brain and heart cancers in rats. 3% of rats were affected during their study which lasted 2 years. However, 3% of 6 billion humans using cell phones represents a significant number of potential tumors.
European standards, supposed to protect us, would therefore clearly be insufficient, even if they are among the strictest.
Source : Franceinfo
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