If radiation is bad for you, should we microwave our food?

Answer 1

Radiation (in common terms) is defined as the energy that is emitted through the change in electric and magnetic fields.

What this means is essentially, all light we see is a kind of radiation, and radiation at low energies is not bad for you, since it cannot even penetrate your skin.

However, microwaves (as in the microwave owens) resonates with the the bonds on the water molecules and thus heat up the water, thus heating the food that we put in the microwave oven. This has no effect on someone who's eating the food that has been microwaved, since the effect is no more present when you are eating.

However, when you are talking on the cell phone, it is totally a different story, since the microwaves from the phone directly go through your brain, and heat the molecules in your brain tissue (20 minutes of exposure increases the temperatue in your brain by 1 degrees). This can affect your chromosomes, altering them to cause tumors and ultimately cancer.

Microwave ovens are not bad for your health. Mobile phones are.

Answer 2

Ok, there are all sorts of wrong answers here. Fundamentally there is no difference between any kind of radiation - nuclear, x-ray, light, radio waves, etc. It is all electro-magnetic radiation. What differs is the frequency and the wavelength. Nuclear radiation has a MUCH higher frequency (and corresponding much shorter wavelength) than light, which is higher than microwaves, which is higher than radiowaves. But they are all the same thing.

Second, nuclear radiation is bad because the individual rays (x, gamma, etc.) cause huge disturbances throughout the cell as they pass, much like a small speedboat will cause a massive wake a hundred times it size over a still lake. Same thing happens in a cell time a million. That wake disturbes the DNA, affecting a cell's ability to split and copy itself. Some cells, like brain cells, are highly resistant to radiation because they don't split. Other cells, like bone marrow and the intestines, split every day, making them highly susceptible to nuclear radiation.

Microwaves are too big to disturb the cellular structure. However, they can be absorbed by water molecules. The water absorbes the microwave, converting the EM radiation into sensible heat. As more waves are absorbed by the water, the water continues to heat, warming and eventually cooking the food.

In neither case does radiation "harm" non-living tissue. Nothing is depositied, nothing is contaminated (there ARE contaminating types of radiation, known as Alpha radiation, but these are not common outside of a uranimum mine). Living tissue would be harmed by microwaves, but if you're shielded there is no harm to the dead meat. Likewise, nuclear radiation does nothing to harm non-reproducing (i.e., dead) cells, it only kills living cells, which is why it is used to sterilize food.

Answer 3

Large doses of radiation are bad for you, but there is some experimental basis to believe that small doses of radiation might be good for you. That being said when you microwave your food does not become radioactive, so there is nothing to worry about.

Answer 4

Radiation (in the sense you are talking about) has more energy than the radiation inthe microwave.

Light is radiation (in the general sense) too. Are you going to stay inside?

Radiation is not a bad word. Some types of radiation may be bad. Others are essential to life.

Answer 5

Microwaved food is bad for you for a number of reasons- Any processed food is immediately going to be bad for you due to its many preservatives. Whether they are anti-fungal agents, designed to increase a products life length or just a whole lot of salt, these chemicals can cause damage to your insides. There are also numerous theories involving the microwave as to its effects on foods health. There are claims that microwaving food can decrease vitamin and mineral effects, but I am skeptical. Truthfully, though there is a lot of stress over this sort of thing, anything is fine as long as you eat it in small amounts. Moderation is the key.

Answer 6

No, actully a test was done last year where two people watered plants with ordinary water and microwaved water the plant that was fed microwaved water died shortly after. However the human imune systym is much stronger than that of a plant. It is o.k to use a micorwave once in a while or when your on the go but dont use it to replace the standard conventional oven or stovetop.

Answer 7

Your initial premise is wrong. Not all radiation is bad for you, and some kinds are essential to good health.

Sadly, the public at large has come to associate the word with 'nuclear radiation' composed mostly of gamma radiation and other things which ARE bad for you.

Answer 8

There are several types of radiation with different wave lenghts and different particles.

For example, X ray is not safe

But for example Gamma irradiation is ok for food and same goes for microwave.

Answer 9

well yes we should microwave our food but radiation is bad for our human body system because it can cause hair loss and other things.

Answer 10

As far as I'm concerned, microwaving food should be safe.
But not all microwaves in general are harmless.

Most people don't know this, but daily prolonged exposure to cellphone usage emits microwave radiation that can possibly give you cancer (eye cancer, tumors, and even brain cancer).

Limit your cellphone usage everyday.

hope this helps! (: