ISO health/advice about risks cooking w/microwave?

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kenny1999

Senior Cook
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For long I have been hearing different opinions about microwave and health, sometimes even related to causing cancer.

I'd like to know if it is already proved to be possible to cause cancer, or proved to be NOT causing cancer, or not known or remain doubt?
 
Microwaves do nothing to the food that could cause cancer to anyone consuming it.

But if you have a leaky microwave oven, and press your face against the door while cooking with it, I suppose long term exposure to that radiation could promote some forms of cancer (most likely to the skin).

Bottom line: there is nothing to worry about.
 
Microwave ovens have been around for at least 50 years! By now, every scary rumor has been circulated and they are still here and going strong. They're fine. In my mind they have limited uses but are a convenience. I don't cook in them so much.
 
It might be helpful for you to know that the radiation used in a microwave is not the same as the radiation used by an X-ray machine or the kind that comes from the sun. The only thing it might do is cook you, as you are just raw meat, right? [emoji6] But since it won't work with your hand in it, there's nothing to worry about.
 
Heated food injuries due to microwaves: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-microwaves-safe/

Radiation effects: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effects-of-radiation-leaking-from-microwave-ovens/

#1 Carcinogens are not always taken off the market. Cigarettes, processed meat, and certain herbicides are just three.

Not everything is tested for safety in humans: supplements for instance.
There are no long term studies to show microwaves do or do not cause cancer. Use at your own risk.
That guy is not particularly reliable in the information he posts. A doctor who is trying to sell me stuff makes me very skeptical.

People can burn themselves using a regular oven or stovetop, too. Many, many substances can be carcinogenic in sufficient quantities - coffee, wine, etc. But the dose makes the poison. Not everything needs to be tested in humans because scientists understand how certain processes work.

Don't be such a scaremonger.

https://wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/mobile...nd-in-the-microwave-right-after-it-turns-off/
 
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That guy is not particularly reliable in the information he posts. A doctor who is trying to sell me stuff makes me very skeptical.

People can burn themselves using a regular oven or stovetop, too. Many, many substances can be carcinogenic in sufficient quantities - coffee, wine, etc. But the dose makes the poison. Not everything needs to be tested in humans because scientists understand how certain processes work.

Don't be such a scaremonger.

https://wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/mobile...nd-in-the-microwave-right-after-it-turns-off/
While I was also skeptical, I liked those videos. The first one points out that there are far more burns and usually more serious ones from conventional cooking appliances, than from microwaves. The other one is also good. The worst danger from using microwave ovens seems to be exploding eggs. That is, when the shell and/or membranes are not broken before microwaving.
 
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While I was also skeptical, I liked those videos. The first one points out that there are far more burns and usually more serious ones from conventional cooking appliances, than from microwaves. The other one is also good. The worst danger from using microwave ovens seems to be exploding eggs. That is, when the shell and/or membranes are not broken before microwaving.
I didn't watch them. Did they address the cancer claim blissful made? That was the thing that I most object to.

From https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/e...aves-cause-cancer-and-3-other-microwave-myths

Quote: "Myth #3: Microwave radiation causes cancer
For some people, the term radiation carries with it a bad reputation when all it means is energy that is emitted by a source. Radiation comes from our bodies in the form of heat. The sunlight that keeps us warm and allows us to navigate the outdoors during the daytime is also radiation.

"The forms of radiation that are typically linked to cancer are those with high enough energies or frequencies to ionize—or remove electrons from—atoms or molecules, and thus are able to cause damage in our cells. High energy forms of radiation include X-rays, gamma rays, and some ultraviolet radiation.

"Microwaves, by contrast, are a much lower energy form of radiation. So while they can cause molecules to vibrate, like the water molecules in our leftovers, they do not change the chemical structure of the food by ionizing it or through any other means. Our bodies are full of water and so just as with food, prolonged, intense exposure to microwave radiation will cause those water molecules in our bodies to vibrate and heat up their surroundings. Thus, it is definitely not a great idea to, say, warm yourself up in the microwave if you could fit inside of one.

"However, unaltered, properly functioning microwaves do not emit microwaves unless the door is shut. And according to the American Cancer Society, the amount of radiation that is allowed to leak out of microwaves based on federal laws in the US is far below the level that could potentially cause harm. The metal mesh visible through the windows on most microwave doors further have holes that are small enough that the microwaves cannot escape but large enough that visible light can still pass through, or in other words, large enough so that you can still see inside to check on the progress of your lunch."
 
I didn't watch them. Did they address the cancer claim blissful made? That was the thing that I most object to.
...
Blissful didn't make a claim about microwaves causing cancer. She was replying to
If microwaves caused cancer they would have been off the market long ago.

Heated food injuries due to microwaves: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/are-microwaves-safe/


Radiation effects: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-effects-of-radiation-leaking-from-microwave-ovens/


#1 Carcinogens are not always taken off the market. Cigarettes, processed meat, and certain herbicides are just three.



Not everything is tested for safety in humans: supplements for instance.
There are no long term studies to show microwaves do or do not cause cancer. Use at your own risk.

The video about radiation effects of MW did not actually mention cancer. It's about the author looking for reports and studies about any ill effects of microwaves. It talks about burns and cataracts and other ways people have been injured. It talks about possible radiation leakage of MW ovens and how little there is and how the measurable amount drops drastically a foot from the source. It ends by saying, "... microwaves should be safe, unless you drop it on your foot."
 
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It has been my experience (limited though it may be) that, very often, if someone wants to believe something as fact, no amount of evidence or persuasion will change their mind.
 
Blissful didn't make a claim about microwaves causing cancer. She was replying to...
I disagree. She said no long-term studies have been done on the connection so use at your own risk. Long-term studies are not needed because scientists already know that low-frequency radiation does not change cell structure.
 
It has been my experience (limited though it may be) that, very often, if someone wants to believe something as fact, no amount of evidence or persuasion will change their mind.
I don't intend to change a particular person's mind. My intention is to help people who have questions to make informed decisions.

And in my personal experience, the information I provide has changed a few people's minds, because they have told me so. I will never know how many, but that's not the point.
 
Roadfix, my husband loves it too! So much so, we have to stock up when it goes on sale. Lots of it.
 
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