Belgium on Thursday announced it will examine any potential health hazards associated with Apple’s iPhone 12.
This raises the suspicion of the possibility that other European countries would follow suit and outlaw the device.
An EU-wide ban did not appear to be imminently possible, though, as the European Commission stated it would wait for input from other EU nations before taking any more action.
The French regulator alerted member states of the European Union on Wednesday, and they have three months to respond. Some nations, like Italy, stated that they would wait to take any action.
Apple disputes the French findings, claiming that the iPhone 12, which was released in 2020 and is therefore an older generation, was approved by several international organisations as complying with radiation guidelines.
Over the past two decades, numerous research has been undertaken to evaluate the health risks posed by mobile phones. The World Health Organisation states that its use has not been proven to have any negative health impacts.
According to Mathieu Michel, Belgium’s state secretary for digitalization, the Belgian regulator was looking into the situation as a result of the French actions.
“We immediately asked the IBPT (Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications) for confirmation, or at least an analysis, and this is currently underway,” he said.
Additionally, Michel requested that the regulator conduct a later evaluation of all Apple smartphones as well as other gadgets.
The network regulator for Germany, BNetzA, reaffirmed that the work being done in France may serve as a model for all of Europe and that, if the French process had advanced far enough, it would be examined for the German market.
