Newly Discovered Health risks to IPhone 12 users.
Apple’s iPhone 12 series continues to set sales records, but a new study warns that the phones pose a serious health danger. What you should know is as follows.
The findings of a new study investigating the potential health dangers of MagSafe, Apple’s magnetic charging technology included into every iPhone 12 model, were published this week in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA). The iPhone 12 series, according to the JAHA, “has the potential to obstruct life-saving therapy.”
The issue derives from Magsafe’s propensity to interact with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), such as pacemakers and defibrillators, via electromagnetic interference. CEIDs can be disrupted by a magnetic field as low as 10 G [gauss], according to JAHA’s research, but the magnetic field strength of the iPhone 12 Pro Max can be larger than 50 G when in direct contact.
JAHA notes, “Our case series has a number of clinical implications.” “Many people carry their iPhones in their breast pockets over a device that could be near CIEDs. This can result in asynchronous pacing or anti-tachycardic therapy disabling.”
The findings of the JAHA area unit in line with a study revealed in January by the guts Rhythm Journal, that warned that MagSafe magnets within the iPhone twelve vary might “potentially inhibit delivery medical care during a patient” and suggested that “to avoid any potential interactions with these devices, keep your iPhone and MagSafe accessories a secure distance faraway from your [CIED] device (more than vi inches / fifteen cm apart or additional tha
“Though all iPhone 12 models have more magnets than earlier iPhone models, they’re not projected to offer a greater risk of magnetic interference to medical devices than past iPhone models,” Apple said in a support document, acknowledging the potential for interference but downplaying the risk.
While JAHA’s research found that some CEID brands were more vulnerable than others, it refutes Apple’s claim:
“Apple Inc. has issued an alert indicating that the newer generation iPhone 12 does not represent a higher danger of magnet interference than prior iPhones. In our investigation, however, magnet response was demonstrated in 3/3 cases in vivo, indicating that this is not the case. A study conducted by Lacour et al reported no occurrences of magnet response in a sample size of 148 patients when compared to the earlier model iPhone 6.
Every year, over one million pacemakers are implanted worldwide, with 200,000 in the United States, and “these numbers are likely to grow” in the future (source). “Cardiac arrhythmias have an estimated incidence of 14.4 million patients in the United States, and they contribute for roughly 40,700 deaths annually,” according to the APSF (Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation).
JAHA concludes, “This report emphasizes the necessity of public knowledge.” “Patients should speak with a cardiac rhythm specialist about particular suggestions for their smartphone and CIED.”
In light of this new information, it’s unclear whether Apple will update the MagSafe warning on its website. And, with reports indicating that MagSafe magnets in the forthcoming iPhone 13 range would be “growing stronger,” concerns about the convenient charging mechanism are certain to intensify.
