Benefits versus Dangers
Forty-four million microwaves were sold between 2004 and 2006. That’s a fact. It’s true they leak radiation, but they do stop producing radiation once the door is open.
Advice: Do Not Operate if the Door is Broken.
So, what’s the story on intense radiation? It can cause burns, temporary sterility, and cataracts since it heats body tissue the same as food, but exposure to those types of levels are not allowable on newer ovens. And, there’s some good news for those with pacemakers. Since 1980 pacemakers have been manufactured with shielding which should prevent electronic interference.
Advice of Dr. Mercola
If you want to sterilize a dish cloth, use your microwave., says Dr. Mercola. But, be aware that it violently rips molecules in food apart, making some nutrients inert, and others carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Uneven heating can cause "hot spots" which cause food to be hot enough to cause burns, in other words, "a steam explosion". Don’t use the microwave to heat up baby bottles. Babies have been burned by super-heated formula. He also points out that carcinogenic toxins can leach out of your plastic and paper containers/covers and into food.
The Jan/Feb issue of the 1990 Nutrition Action Newsletter reported leakage of numerous toxic chemicals from packaging of common microwaveable foods, fatty foods which have been micro-waved in plastic containers lead to release of dioxins, which are known carcinogens.
Intriguing Microwave Facts
First, professional chefs rarely use microwave ovens due to the fact that many flavor-enhancing reactions, such as browning and carmelization, cannot take place at the high temperatures.
Second, food is heated for such a short time in a microwave, it is often cooked unevenly and bacteria may not be killed when reheating food.
Third, research determines that microwaves are very unlikely to cause cancer because they are non-ionzing. Inonizing radiation is that, such as x-rays and ultra-violet light, which may cause cancer.
Original Microwave Oven
Percy Spencer was building magnetrons for radar bits at Raytheon Company, an American defense contractor, when he accidentally discovered microwaves could cook food. A peanut chocolate bar started to melt, and then he tried to cook popcorn and then an egg, which exploded in his face.
The first ovens weighed 700 pounds and consumed 3,000 watts—3X more than microwaves today. In the 50s and 60s they were not popular and did not sell well. The early 70s saw a dramatic increase in sales, and just five years later, one million microwaves were sold. And, now, we have a world filled with microwaves.
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