Are you not suppse to open the microwave until it stops beeping because of leaking radiation?

Question

This is a bit of an odd question but a debate in my household for a while. Are you suppose to wait until the microwave stops beeping for all the harmful radiation to disappear before taking out something that you have just warmed up? Or does anyone know the real purpose of those extra few seconds of beeping after the timer has gone off?

Answer 1

A microwave is NOT like a cell phone (as somebody indicated). It runs at a much higher power (about 1000 times higher). Since the magnetron (which generates the high frequency waves) cannot shut off instantaneously, you COULD get some leakage if the door is pulled open before it shuts down. Once the "beeper" sounds, the magnetron is already off, so you can open the door safely when the beeper is sounding.

Answer 2

I'm sorry, but this is a completely silly idea.
The "radiation" from your microwave is no more harmful than the "radiation" from your cell phone. That is, there are no short-term effects. Long-term effects of exposure are still being studied, but quite a few anecdotal cases of problems resulting from microwaves have turned out to be placebo effect at work.

The real purpose of the beep is just to be loud and obnoxious, since people have very short and selective memories.

Try opening it before it finishes beeping. Hell, try opening the door before it's even done. Don't even press cancel. You will feel a little disappointed, but more than a little foolish for believing that you'd be zapped by something in the first place.

Answer 3

Microwave ovens have safety features such that if you open the door while the oven is still going, the klystron (a kind of microwave light bulb) shuts off. So even if you open it before the beep sounds (which means that the klystron is off anyway), you don't get any radiation. If there were a way to sabotage the oven so that the klystron was still on after you opened the door, that could be harmful.

I was always sorry for a good friend who was suspicious of microwaved food. "Who knows?" he said. "When you take the food out of the oven, there might still be some of those microwaves runnin' around in it."

Answer 4

Yes, just like when you push the stop button on the microwave, you hear it slow down. It doesn't just stop instantaneously, so if you open it while it's still on, there will be a little bit of microwave leakage. Whether or not it is a harmful amount is negligible, however, just to be on the safe side, go ahead and give it an extra couple of seconds.

Answer 5

not some thing. Microwaves are outfitted with an interlock interior the door. once you open it, that's going to over-journey the different controls and close off power to the magnetron regardless the position the timer is. no extra microwave radiation will be generated see you later because the door is open. there is not lingering microwaves both. Microwaves shuttle at p.c. of light.

Answer 6

At the gas station i go to, they have a sign on the door warning people with pacemakers that there is a microwave on the premises. I do not know the answer to your question, but, i personally wait across the room and wait until AFTER the beep.

Answer 7

Ha!
NO, IT IS JUST A BEEP!
Microwaves have the shortest radio wave length, by the time you have opened the door, they have gone!

Answer 8

I've always been scared to open it before it beeps, and my mother never let me do it. I don't know, but thats an excellant question!

Answer 9

No. The microwaves stop instantly. The beeper continues so you will not miss hearing it.