Here is a sampling of some of the media portrayals of these recent developments, with commentary.

Apple Insider: "France threatens total recall of iPhone 12 over RF power concerns," (Still) invoking comparisons to 'the sun' and offering assurance that cell phones are not radioactive

On Sept. 12, Apple Insider reported, "France threatens total recall of iPhone 12 over RF power concerns."  Mike Wuerthele wrote, "At about the same time the iPhone 15 launched, France has declared that the iPhone 12 cannot be sold in the country, because it reportedly exceeds the country's legal limit for radio frequency exposure."

"RF radiation is not the same as ionizing radiation generated by decay of radioactive isotopes, and from the sun itself and the mechanism of damage is different. Ionizing radiation breaks the bonds in cells, where sufficiently high levels of RF radiation can heat tissue and could theoretically cause tissue damage.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) refers to the rate at which the body absorbs RF energy. A SAR of 1 watt per kilogram would increase the temperature of an insulated slab of tissue by one degree Celsius per hour of exposure at that wattage, and does not account for the loss of that temperature increase from any other factor.

SAR is a measure of that heat, and not an absolute measure of damage. Generated heat is what can theoretically cause damage from RF exposure."