Belgium to check Apple's iPhone 12's potential radiation risks after France halts sales - report
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Belgium said it will review the potential health risks related to Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 12, tentatively following the footsteps of French regulator which has asked the tech giant to stop selling its iPhone 12 model in the country due to high radiation levels.
"I have rapidly reached out to the IBPT-BIPT (regulator) to ask for an analysis about the potential danger of the product," said Mathieu Michel, Belgium's state secretary for digitalisation, to Reuters.
Michel added that he had also asked the regulator to review all Apple smartphones, and products made by other manufacturers, at a later stage.
On Tuesday, France's radiation watchdog Agence Nationale des Frequences (ANFR) said it recently measured the specific absorption rates (SAR) of 141 phones including Apple's iPhone 12, and found that the model exceeded the legal SAR limit. The regulator noted that agents have been instructed to verify from Sept. 12 that these models will no longer be offered for sale in all distribution channels available in France.
Apple on Wednesday said that the iPhone 12 was certified by multiple international bodies as compliant with radiation standards and that it was contesting France's findings, according to the Reuters report.
Germany's network regulator BNetzA noted that the work in France could act as a guide for Europe and that it would examine the issue for the German market if the process in France had advanced sufficiently, the report added.
The Dutch digital watchdog, Nederlandse Rijksinspectie Digitale Infrastructuur has also said that it was looking into the issue. "There appears to be no acute safety risk, but we will enter into discussions with the manufacturer at very short notice," Inspector General Angeline van Dijk said to media outlet Algemeen Dagblad.
The Italian industry ministry also noted that it was monitoring the situation but not taking any action for now, according to the report.
The news has come amid a time when the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has unveiled its latest line of new iPhones â iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max â and the next generation of Apple Watch at the "Wonderlust" event which has drawn mixed reviews.

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