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Using accredited lab tests that mimic human tissue, reporters from The Chicago Tribune tested smartphone radiofrequency radiation emitted by 11 models of popular cell phones.

They found most of the phones exceeded the legal limit set by the FCC of 1.6 watts per kilogram averaged over 1 gram of tissue.

Radiofrequency radiation exposure from the iPhone 7 — one of the most popular smartphones ever sold — measured over the legal safety limit and more than double what Apple reported to federal regulators from its own testing.

The FCC is currently investigating the reported findings.

A recent investigation has reignited debate over the safety of cell and smartphones. It’s also spurred class-action lawsuits and has activists calling on federal regulators to reassess the limits of radiation allowed to seep out from radio-emitting mobile devices that are now a part of daily modern life.

The Chicago Tribune recently released findings of its own investigation into radiofrequency radiation emitted by popular smartphones, including several variations of the iPhone.

Overall, Tribune reporters, using accredited lab tests that mimic human tissue, tested 11 models from four companies: Apple, Samsung, Motorola, and BLU.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — which regulates cell phones, among other things, in the United States — has set radiation standards for cell phones at 1.6 watts per kilogram averaged over 1 gram of tissue. Most of the phones the Tribune tested well exceeded that amount at 2 millimeters, or the distance your phone would be in your pocket.

“Radiofrequency radiation exposure from the iPhone 7 — one of the most popular smartphones ever sold — measured over the legal safety limit and more than double what Apple reported to federal regulators from its own testing,” the Tribune reported.

Radiofrequency (RF) radiation is of a concern because, according to the FCC, “It has been known for many years that exposure to very high levels of RF radiation can be harmful due to the ability of RF energy to heat biological tissue rapidly.”

Essentially, it operates the same way a microwave cooks food, and organs like the eyes and testes are particularly vulnerable because there’s not enough blood flow to cool them down.

But there are larger concerns over how much radiation the U.S. federal government allows cell phones to emit, especially after the Tribune’s reporting found they often were in excess of that.

The FCC’s standards were set in 1996 and reflected the typical amount of use during that time and on a 200-pound man.

But phones back then were just that — phones.