iPhones — like other mobile phones – use radio frequency (RF) waves as part of their normal operation to send and receive signals from the nearby cell towers. These RF waves — like microwaves and FM radio waves — are a type of non-ionizing radiation. While non-ionizing radiation can be harmful to humans at high intensity, the RF waves emitted by mobile phones are low-intensity. As a result, your iPhone’s RF radiation doesn’t have enough energy to cause any harm to the human body.
Several expert agencies, including the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA), have also said that there is currently no scientific evidence to support that using wireless devices, such as mobile phones, can cause cancer or other health ailments. “Based on the evaluation of the currently available information, the FDA believes that the weight of scientific evidence has not linked exposure to radio frequency energy from cell phone use with any health problems at or below the radio frequency exposure limits set by the FCC,” the US FDA writes on its website. So, you don’t have to worry about using your iPhone, and it won’t cause cancer or any other health ailments in your body.
How much radiation do iPhones emit?
As mentioned, iPhones do release some radiation. It’s not a lot, though, as all mobile phones have to comply with strict national and international safety guidelines. In terms of how much radiation is being emitted, regulators measure the radiation absorbed by the human body while using a particular mobile device, and this value is known as Specific Absorption Rate (SAR), reported in watts per kilogram (W/kg). There are two exposure scenarios for which the SAR value is measured: Head SAR and Body SAR. As the names suggest, Head SAR is the radiation absorbed when a phone is placed close to the head, and Body SAR is when it’s placed close to the torso.
As per the data available on Apple’s website, none of the modern iPhones have exceeded a Head or Body SAR value of 1.20 W/kg when averaged over one gram of tissue, or 1.49 W/kg when averaged over 10 grams of tissue. These values are well below the limits set by the FCC: 1.6 W/kg (over 1 gram), or the EU: 2 W/kg (over 10 grams). In terms of specific iPhones, all iPhone 17-series models have a SAR of 1.19 W/kg (over 1 gram) and 1.49 (over 10 grams). If you’re still concerned by the radiation emitted by your iPhone, according to the FCC, there are a few ways you can reduce your RF radiation exposure: use your phone less, use speaker phone or a headset, text rather than call, and keep your phone farther away whenever possible.
