“Yellow Cell,” from Phone Testing, C-41 medium format film, 2024
Megan Bainbridge
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In the U.S., “companies testing a new phone for compliance with the safety limit…are permitted to position the phone up to 25 [mm] away from the body…depending on how the device is used…because testing standards were adopted in the 1990s…But people now often carry phones closer to the body…which increases their potential exposure to radiofrequency radiation.” (Roe We tested popular…)
I created this work to visualize the supposed reality that current U.S. phone testing standards follow with its guidelines; that we are holding phones that float between 5mm and 25mm away from the human body. I chose to photograph a vintage phone to reference how outdated U.S. RF testing requirements are. I discuss this further in my three-page Artist Essay “U.S. FCC Needs to Bring RF Testing Requirements Into the 21st Century for the People’s Health,” which is available for viewing below.
U.S. FCC Needs to Bring RF Testing Requirements Into the 21st Century for the People’s Health
While I am no expert on cellphone radiation, my interest was piqued as an iPhone 12 User when “in September, France temporarily banned sales of the iPhone 12 after the Agence nationale des fréquences (ANFR), the country’s regulator of radio-frequency emissions, tested 141 phones for their specific absorption rate (SAR) and found that the iPhone 12 exceeded the legal limit for on-body emissions.” (Edwards The Iphone 12 Will…) The iPhone 12 in question failed ANFR’s testing, which took place at a lab called CTC Advanced in Saarbruecken, Germany…after notice of the results were published online…ANFR demanded the “temporary withdrawal of the iPhone 12” from the French market.” (Williams The Iphone 12 Isn’t…) What is RF? “All phones, including iPhones, emit a category of electromagnetic radiation called RF, radio frequency…It’s the same kind of radiation used to transmit FM and DAB radio, and it refers to electromagnetic waves with a frequency between 20 kHz and 300 GHz. RF radiation is everywhere, and it only becomes a potential problem when someone is exposed to an unusually high amount of it.” (Williams The Iphone 12 Isn’t…)
Why does any of this matter? Well, studies are indicating that cellphone RF exposure could cause cancer: “Findings that male rats developed tumors in the nerves around their heart suggested that cellphone radiation could be a “weak” carcinogen, Bucher said.” Even if it is “weak,” consider the effects over time. Ask yourself: how often are you holding your smartphone/storing it in your pocket? (Ables France Bans Iphone…) “Last fall, in one of the largest studies to date, the National Toxicology Program, a research group within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found that high exposure to the kind of radiofrequency radiation used by cellphones was associated with “clear evidence” of cancerous heart tumors in male rats…In the U.S., “companies testing a new phone for compliance with the safety limit…are permitted to position the phone up to 25 [mm] away from the body…depending on how the device is used…because testing standards were adopted in the 1990s…But people now often carry phones closer to the body…which increases their potential exposure to radiofrequency radiation.” (Roe We tested popular…) Testing in France is different. “[An ANFR card allows ANFR Reps] to take samples of mobile phones from shops… randomly…to represent the entire possible market.” Unlike the U.S., where “manufacturers are allowed to select the testing lab…[and] only [one] phone needs to pass.” (Williams The Iphone 12 Isn’t…; Roe We tested popular…)
This isn’t the first time a phone was independently tested and had high RF levels. Consider the Chicago Tribune’s test “conducted according to federal guidelines at an accredited lab” which found that “[RF] radiation exposure from the iPhone 7…measured over the legal safety limit and more than double what Apple reported…from its own testing.” (Roe We tested popular…) Furthermore, “the results raise questions about whether cellphones always meet safety standards set up [by the Federal Communications Commission] to protect the public.” With manufacturers choosing their own testing sites and the FCC having no requirements for on-body testing, it is indeed questionable. (Roe We tested popular…) In RF testing, the difference between 0mm and 5mm is significant. “One crucial difference between [limb and trunk testing] is how far the iPhone is from a person’s tissue. It’s directly on the body for limb testing, 5 mm away for trunk testing. The iPhone 12 failed the 0-mm distance limb testing, but not the test at 5 mm.” (Williams The Iphone 12 Isn’t…)
ANFR’s data concerning tested phones in/out of compliance with RF regulations are available online. It’s not just the non-IOS 17.1 iPhone 12 that is out of compliance–it’s 53 cellphones listed under the “Non Conforme” column. The database is listed in the Works Cited under “DAS Téléphonie Mobile” (please note that data for levels detected when testing at a 0mm distance are under the DAS Member column.) 2019 journal article by O. P. Gandhi concludes that “It is important that safety compliance testing be done under realistic conditions of actual use of the cell phones…at 0 [mm] spacing… phantom models of…users…of smaller head sizes should be used rather than the large head size…[and] It is not sufficient for manufacturers to start recommending that the microwave radiating devices be held at distances of 5 to 25 [mm] away” (Gandhi Microwave emissions from…) To conclude, we don’t know enough about RF Radiation to know how safe long-term exposure to it is. If lab rats are getting cancer from concentrated RF levels, I would rather not risk it. RF levels should be tested at a 0mm distance. The U.S. Government and Apple has an obligation to its people and consumers to keep us safe in their RF testing procedures and standards. For the time being–Apple–release IOS 17.1 to the rest of us. Or does our government need to stop selling the iPhone 12, too?
Works Cited
Ables, Kelsey. “France Bans iPhone 12 Sales over Radiation Levels: Here’s What ...” France Bans iPhone 12 Sales over Radiation Levels: Here’s What to Know, The Washington Post, 14 Sept. 2023, www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/09/14/france-ban-iphone-12-radiation-levels/.
DAS Téléphonie Mobile, Agence Nationale des Fréquences, 26 Feb. 2024, data.anfr.fr/visualisation/table/?id=das-telephonie-mobile&sort=das_membre_norme_en_50566&refine.marque=APPLE&refine.conformite_aux_normes=Non%2BConforme.
Edwards, Nathan. “The Iphone 12 Will Soon Be Legal in France Again.” The Verge, The Verge, 10 Oct. 2023, www.theverge.com/2023/10/10/23911778/iphone-12-ios-17-france-emissions-fix.
Gandhi, Om P. “Microwave emissions from cell phones exceed safety limits in Europe and the US when touching the body.” IEEE Access, vol. 7, 18 Apr. 2019, pp. 47050–47052, https://doi.org/10.1109/access.2019.2906017.
Roe, Sam. “We Tested Popular Cellphones for Radiofrequency Radiation. Now the FCC Is Investigating.” Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2019, www.chicagotribune.com/investigations/ct-cell-phone-radiation-testing-20190821-72qgu4nzlfda5kyuhteiieh4da-story.html.
Williams, Andrew. “The Iphone 12 Isn’t the Only Phone to Fail France’s Radiation Test.” Wired, Conde Nast, 23 Sept. 2023, www.wired.com/story/the-iphone-12-isnt-the-only-phone-to-fail-frances-radiation-test/.