An iPhone 11 Pro tested in the US has been found to far exceed the legal safety limit for mobile phone radiation emissions.
High levels of radio waves have been linked to various health issues and has been classified as a ‘possible carcinogen’ by the world Health Organization since 2011.
An independent company claims the Apple handset breaches current US laws which have remained unchanged since they were first enforced more than 24 years ago.
Apple has previously stated that all its iPhones adhere to the strict regulations.
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An iPhone 11 Pro tested in the US has been found to far exceed the legal safety limit for radiation emissions. Current radio frequency radiation limits are set at 1.6 watts per kilogram in the US but it recorded a score of 3.8 watts per kilogram (file photo)
RF Exposure Lab, an independent laboratory dedicated to this form of testing in California, decided to scrutinise an off-the-shelf iPhone 11 Pro.
The company claims it was doing the test, with just a single handset, to test its Alara phone cases, which sre designed to reduce exposure to radio frequency emissions.
It conducted tests by cranking the iPhone 11 Pro to its maximum strength and recording how strong the radiation it produced was from 5mm away.
The arbitrary 5mm distance is meant to represent the phone being positioned in a coat pocket and away from the body.
Current radio frequency radiation limits are set at 1.6 watts per kilogram in the US for mobile phones.
Using this industry standard, called a Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), the iPhone device recorded 3.8 watts per kilogram – more than twice the FCC limit.
It builds on an investigation from August 2019 that used the same laboratory to test the iPhone 7 and the iPhone X.
The highest emissions were found to be 3.46 and 2.64 watts per kg at a 5mm distance, respectively.
However, Apple’s official figures claim its handsets are well within the legal limit.
For its iPhone 7 it records a score of 1.19 at 5mm, and for the iPhone 11 Pro it dropped to around 1.16 watts per kg.
MailOnline has approached Apple for comment.
The FCC allows companies to conduct their own tests on RF emissions in a bid to encourage self-regulation.
Ryan McCaughey, CTO of Penumbra Brands, which funded the research, said in a statement: ‘The manufacturer supplies a phone to an independent lab for testing, and if the phone passes, the FCC approves the device for release.’
Thelatest test builds on an investigation from August 2019 that used the same laboratory to test the iPhone 7 (pictured) and the iPhone X. The highest emissions were found to be 3.46 and 2.64 watts per kg at a 5mm distance, respectively
Joel Moskowitz, a researcher at UC Berkeley who studies the health effects of wireless radiation, says the discrepancy could be down to one of two things.
He says it is possible Apple installed a ‘dummy’ software to pass its own tests, or there is a problem with the lab’s testing methods.
But RF Exposure believes the bigger issue is the legislation itself and how outdated it has become.
It was first put in place in 1996 and has not been updated since.
A SAR of 1.6 watts per kg covers any ‘transmitters operating at frequencies of 300 kHz to 100 GHz’, of which mobile phones are included.
However, in 1996, the best selling handset was the Motorola StarTAC, which is significantly less powerful than today’s smartphones.
‘The FCC limits are over 20 years old,’ Mr McCaughey told IEEE Spectrum. ‘Some might argue that the limit is antiquated at this point.’
Some people say the testing method itself is flawed, and that 5mm is a pointless metric to use because if a phone is in a trouser pocket, it is closer to 2mm from skin opposed to 5mm.
This closer distance amplifies the measurement.
But Apple also released its own measurements for RF emissions when placed directly next to the head, with no separation at all.
For the iPhone 11 Pro this was 1.18 watts per kg, still well within the legal limit.
