The European Union has adopted stricter cellphone radiation testing procedures that will require manufacturers to measure emissions with devices touching the body, while researchers and consumer advocates call for similar changes in the United States.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The European Commission has approved a significant change to cellphone radiation testing, requiring wireless devices to undergo safety evaluations while directly touching the body rather than being positioned several millimeters away.
The revised standard, published Sept. 7, 2026, in the Official Journal of the European Union, establishes a zero-millimeter testing distance for body exposure, replacing procedures that previously permitted separation distances of up to 5 millimeters.
Manufacturers have until March 7, 2028, to complete the transition, although the updated standard can already be used for product certification.
The change addresses concerns that testing phones away from the body may underestimate radiofrequency exposure during common activities such as carrying a phone in a pocket.
According to Environmental Health Sciences, the decision follows years of pressure from French regulators and consumer safety advocates seeking testing procedures that better reflect everyday cellphone use.
The revised requirements concern specific absorption rate, or SAR, which measures the amount of radiofrequency energy absorbed by human tissue.
The European Union’s SAR exposure limit for the head and torso remains 2 watts per kilogram, averaged over 10 grams of tissue. The new standard changes how compliance is tested rather than lowering the existing exposure limit.
France-based consumer protection organization Phonegate Alert welcomed the decision, calling it an important development after nearly a decade of campaigning.
Dr. Marc Arazi, the organization’s founder and president, described the change as a “historic victory for European consumer protection and the culmination of nearly 10 years of campaigning against cellphone radiation testing protocols that failed to reflect real-world conditions of use.”
However, he criticized the commission for allowing manufacturers an additional 18 months to transition.
“Why give manufacturers another 18 months when regulators have known about this problem for years?” Arazi asked.
The regulatory dispute dates back several years.
In 2020, French authorities submitted a formal objection to the European testing standard EN 50566:2017, arguing that the permitted separation distance did not adequately represent how consumers carry their devices.
France’s National Frequency Agency, known as ANFR, has conducted independent radiation testing on commercially available phones for years.
The agency purchases devices and measures their emissions under laboratory conditions to determine whether they comply with European standards.
Phonegate Alert cited research published in 2019 indicating that approximately 76% of tested phones exceeded the applicable exposure limit when placed directly against the body.
That figure reflects the devices and testing conditions examined in the research, not a finding that 76% of all phones currently on the European market are unsafe.
The organization also reported that 65 cellphone models had required software modifications or market withdrawals because of excessive measured emissions.
One widely publicized case involved Apple’s iPhone 12, which French authorities temporarily ordered off the market in 2023 after testing identified radiation levels exceeding regulatory requirements.
Apple subsequently addressed the compliance dispute through a software update.
The European Commission’s new standard reflects a broader effort to harmonize testing procedures and reduce differences between laboratory conditions and actual consumer use. <Cite refs={[“turn639879search0″,”turn639879search7”]}/>
The development has also renewed calls for regulatory changes in the United States.
The Federal Communications Commission currently applies a cellphone SAR limit of 1.6 watts per kilogram, averaged over one gram of tissue.
Because American and European measurements use different tissue-averaging methods, the numerical limits cannot be directly compared.
U.S. testing procedures have also permitted separation distances under certain circumstances, raising concerns among advocates who believe phones should be evaluated while touching the body.
Miriam Eckenfels, director of the Electromagnetic Radiation and Wireless Program at Children’s Health Defense, called the European decision a positive development.
Theodora Scarato, director of the Wireless and EMF Program at Environmental Health Sciences, urged American regulators to reconsider existing procedures.
“The United States needs to catch up with the rest of the world on this. For years manufacturers could choose what distance they radiation test their phones at,” Scarato said.
She noted that newer FCC guidance has moved toward a 5-millimeter separation distance, although some existing testing provisions continue to permit greater distances.
Scarato also pointed to FCC testing records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, arguing that certain devices complying with limits at greater distances registered higher SAR measurements when tested closer to the body.
In a letter to Congress, she called for additional oversight of wireless radiation testing and regulatory transparency.
The FCC has maintained that its existing exposure limits incorporate substantial safety margins. A higher laboratory SAR reading does not, by itself, demonstrate that a device causes disease or injury.
The European policy change also comes amid new scientific research examining whether age and body size influence radiofrequency absorption.
A study published Sept. 2 in Physics in Medicine & Biology used 550 computer simulations to compare radiofrequency absorption in anatomical models of children and adults across 15 frequencies associated with wireless technologies.
Researchers reported that simulated whole-body absorption in children was approximately 1.5 to 1.9 times higher than in adults at frequencies below 6 gigahertz.
The models also identified differences in brain exposure at higher frequencies and localized concentrations of absorbed energy associated with beamforming technology.
The findings add to earlier research published in 2018 examining how anatomical differences between children and adults can affect radiofrequency absorption.
However, computer simulations measure modeled exposure, not actual disease outcomes. They do not establish that ordinary cellphone use causes cancer, neurological disorders or other health problems in children.
The broader scientific evidence concerning potential long-term effects of radiofrequency exposure remains under review.
In 2021, a federal appeals court ordered the FCC to provide a fuller explanation of its decision to retain existing radiation exposure guidelines.
The court directed the agency to address questions involving children’s exposure, long-term wireless use, testing procedures and possible environmental effects. It did not determine that cellphone radiation causes harm or invalidate the existing exposure limits.
The FCC has since reopened public consideration of those issues, with comments due Oct. 22.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is seeking public input through Oct. 21 concerning potential health and environmental effects of radiofrequency exposure.
Children’s Health Defense has published instructions for individuals interested in submitting comments to HHS or participating in the FCC proceeding.
For European consumers, the immediate effect of the new standard will be more representative laboratory testing of phones and other body-worn wireless devices.
Manufacturers will have to demonstrate compliance under direct-contact conditions as the updated standard becomes the applicable harmonized testing framework.
The regulation does not establish that previously approved cellphones are harmful, but it reflects growing regulatory emphasis on measuring exposure under realistic conditions.
With European requirements changing and American regulators continuing their review, cellphone radiation testing procedures are becoming an increasingly prominent subject of consumer protection policy.
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