microwave safety??

Question

heya to all, i encountered a site explaining about the harmful effects of a microwave http://www.rense.com/general70/microwaved.htm and i was just wondering if maybe you guys know any alternatives from microwaves, any ideas even if it doesn't apply in our current technology yet. i was thinking on any heating method alternatives that would lead us to a healthy eating lifestyle

Answer 1

Don't use the microwave for deep-frying, canning, or
heating baby bottles. These applications don't allow
adequate temperature control for safe results.

Stay with the oven when microwaving popcorn, for heat
buildup can cause a fire. Time heating per instructions
but lean toward the shorter time (some ovens can scorch
popcorn in two minutes).

Don't dry or disinfect clothing or other articles in
the microwave because of the risk of fire.

Use only microwave-safe utensils. Hot food melts some
plastics, such as margarine tubs, causing migration of
package constituents. It's a good idea to use glass for
fatty foods, which get particularly hot, though not all
glass and ceramics are microwave-safe.

Here's a quick test for glass: Microwave the empty
container for one minute. It's unsafe for the microwave
if it's warm; it's OK for reheating if it's lukewarm; and
it's OK for actual cooking if it's cool.

Properly used, a microwave oven is extremely safe.
Under authority of the Radiation Control for Health and
Safety Act, FDA's-Center for Devices and Radiological
Health ensures that microwave ovens made after 1971 meet a
radiation safety standard requiring: two independent
interlock systems to stop microwave production the moment
the latch is released or the door is opened. A monitoring
system stops the oven if either or both of the interlocks
fail.

To be sure radiation levels from a microwave oven
remain as low as possible, consumers can take these steps:

Don't use an oven if an object is caught in the door
or if the door doesn't close firmly or is otherwise
damaged. If you have an older model oven with a soft mesh
door gasket. Check for deterioration which would require
servicing.

If you suspect excessive microwave leakage, contact
the manufacturer, a reputable servicing firm, the local
state health department. The FDA has found the inexpensive
home microwave-testing devices that are available to be
generally inaccurate.

Don't operate an empty oven if the introduction manual
warns against this. In some ovens the magnetron tube can
be damaged by unabsorbed energy.

If there are signs of rusting inside the oven, have
the oven repaired.

Clean the door and oven cavity---the outer edge. too.
---with water and mild detergent. Do not use abrasives
such as scouring pads.

Follow the manufacturer's instruction manual for
recommended operating procedures and safety precautions.

Be sure children who use the microwave can do so
safely.

There previously was concern that electromagnetic
emissions from microwave ovens could interfere with heart
pacemakers. Modern pacemakers are shielded against such
interference, but some older models may still be
adversely affected by proximity to a microwave oven. If
in doubt, check with your doctor.

Microwaved foods typically retain more vitamins and
minerals foods cooked by other methods because
microwaving takes less and doesn't require much
additional water.

Though microwaves produce heat directly in the food,
they really don't cook food from the inside out. With
thick foods like roasts microwaves generally cook only
about an inch of the outer layers. The heat is then slowly
conducted inward, cooking along the way.

An area of a food where there is increased moisture
will heat more quickly than other areas. So, when heating
up a jelly roll, for instance, it's a good idea to let the
food stand after cooking for a minute or two until the
heat disperses from the high moisture jelly to the low
moisture pass throughout. To promote uniform cooking,
recipes for microwave ovens usually include directions
such as turn the food midway through cooking and cover and
let stand after cooking.

As a rule, it's not good to use metal pans made for
conventional ovens or aluminum foil because reflected
microwaves cause uneven cooking and could even damage the
oven. However, some new metal cookware is specially
configured for use in microwave ovens. These pans are
safe, provided instructions for use are carefully
followed.

Some oven models have a protector on the magnetron
tube to allow use of a small amount of metal, such as meat
skewers or strips of foil over chicken wings and legs. The
instructions that come with each microwave oven tell what
kinds of containers to use and how to test for suitability
for use.

The following test is used for gauging energy output:
Fill a glass measuring cup with exactly 1 cup of tap
water. Microwave, uncovered, on "high" until water begins
to boil.

If boiling occurs in: wattage is:
less than 3 minutes 600 to 700
3 to 4 minutes 500 to 600
more than 4 minutes less than 500 watts

Answer 2

The microwave is built such that the inside is "shielded" from the outside. That is why the inside is metal, and the door contains a screen. That screen has holes that are smaller than the wavelenth of the microwaves, so no significant energy escapes. If you like, think of it as trying to get 1 inch ball bearings through a half inch hole. They don't go though.

The shielding also serves another purpose - making the microwave oven more efficient. If the energy simply escaped, it wouldn't be reflected back onto the food to cook it, and you would need more power to cook your food. For a comparison - try baking a cake in a conventional oven and leave the door open - your kitchen gets hotter, and the oven is hot inside, but it won't keep up with your set temperature - a microwave works in a similar way, the shielding keeps the microwave energy inside longer.

As for the microwave energy itself, its basically a powerful radio transmitter. It does not generate "ionizing" radiation (gamma or x rays) which can cause cancer in large doses. The frequency of the waves in the microwave simply vibrate water molecules, and the faster a molecule vibrates, the hotter it is.

So, reviewing - a microwave oven puts out radio waves of a high frequency and power, which heat up water molecules. The water in your food gets hot, and so does the food since it contains water. You aren't in danger from a microwave because 1) there is no cancer causing (ionizing) radiation, and 2) there is shielding to prevent the energy from escaping and improves the cooking efficency.

BTW - Cell phones also put out microwaves, but about 10,000 times less power than a microwave oven - the cell phone doesn't cook you because the power is too small, it also doesn't give you cancer because microwaves don't cause cancer, as mentioned above.

Answer 3

This site does *not* explain the harmful effects of microwaving. It gives the results of a science fair project...which by no means is a reason to jump to the conclusion that microwaving water is harmful. For these results to be valid, the experiment would have to run numerous times (hundreds) by different researchers, the water tested for various impurities each time it is used to water the plants (regardless of what you think about filtered water, it is not necessarily "pure"), the environment and containers tested for impurities, that both plants are exposed to exactly similar growth factors (especially amount of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, carbon dioxide, oxygen, sunlight), etc. Didn't the website even say the girl was "trying" to get the one plant to grow less than the other? This proves that she had bias going into the experiment, which in itself would make the results invalid.

There are rumors floating around that microwaving fatty foods in plastic containers releases cancer-causing dioxins into the the food, that freezing water in plastic bottles does the same, but the research has never been published in any scientific, public health, or medial journal as far as I have seen.

Answer 4

Food absorbs microwave radiation by excitation of molecular bonds, which cause the atoms to vibrate. Typically, microwaves excite the OH bond in water.

The metal will reflect microwaves, and (by itself, i.e. not in contact with a hydrogen-bearing organic substance (usually containing water)) it can cause electrical discharges if the power density is high enough.
Any discharge can damage the microwave. Actually, if one puts a metal object (e.g. spoon) in a piece of food or in liquid containing water (e.g. coffee, tea, soup, stew) there is no problem. But put a metal object on a plate and one will likely see electrical discharges, like lightning.

If one wraps (completely surrounds) food in Al foil, the food will not heat in the mircrowave, but one will get electrical discharges. Putting food on a metal plate is OK in some microwave models. The microwaves are simply reflected into the food.

Answer 5

You would have to look at nano technology. This is the science of atoms and how to make it work on large objects we use everyday. You have to be a wizz at physics I guess!! It occurs to me that no one else has yet found anything to replace the microwave so I think that a new method of heating like micro wave is some way off. good luck mate

Answer 6

is it safe operate a microwave with empty microwaveable cup to heat up cup?

Answer 7

i think no...if the guys using it without proper information on how to use it. they must aware on how to use it and the manual should be read before using it. it doesnt mean we knows everything because we are living in the modern world but we must follow also the instruction given by the supplier...

Answer 8

No. Microwaves don't cause cancer.
Neither do french fries, or bananas.

Answer 9

oven toaster.. ^_^