Microwave Ovens and Your Health

How Unhealthy Are Microwave Ovens?

Microwave ovens and their health implications are a highly emotive topic.  There are many myths and stories floating around the internet, some designed to placate us, other intended to shock and scare us.  But what is the truth about microwave ovens and their effects on our health?

A bit of history

Percy Spencer, an American self-taught engineer from Howland, Maine, worked at the time with the defense contractor Raytheon. He was working on an active radar set when he noticed that a Mr. Goodbar chocolate bar he had in his pocket had started to melt - the radar had melted his chocolate bar with microwaves.  In late 1945, Raytheon filed a US patent for Spencer's microwave cooking-process, but it wasn't until the mid-seventies that popularity began to grow for the RadaRange and handful of other microwaves on the market.

How do they work?

Microwave ovens heat food by bombarding it with electromagnetic radiation in the microwave spectrum causing polarized molecules in the food to rotate and build up thermal energy in a process known as dielectric heating.

Safety Concerns & Controversy

The safety of microwaves tends to center on three key areas;

1) whether microwaves deplete vitamins from food.

2) radiation concerns.

3) the effects of food storage items like certain plastics and styro foam when microwaved.

Vitamin Retention

In an article entitled, Microwave Ovens Destroy the Nutritional Value of Your Food, author Mike Adams attests that microwave ovens are responsible for many nutritional deficiencies and health problems. According to Adams, microwaved food is “dead food” and essentially nutritionally destitute. However his article doesn’t cite any sources or studies for this claim.

The Harvard Medical School, says that cooking vegetables in your microwave actually causes them to retain more vitamins than if you boil them in water. This would infer that microwaves are a more healthy cooking method than stove-top. (Although, steaming veggies is indisputably better than boiling, as the nutrients are not leached into the water.)

Radiation

According to the USDA Microwave FAQ  microwaves do not make food radioactive. “Microwave energy uses a wave length similar to television, radio waves, electric shavers and radar…. X-rays and nuclear radiation are at the other end of the spectrum and are a million times more powerful.”  Of course there is also concern that microwaves can leak radiation. However, studies show that this isn't the case and that appliances are designed to stop producing radiation once the door is opened. Quite obviously, don’t operate a microwave if the door is broken and it’s probably prudent not to stand close to the microwave whilst it is operating, as low dose microwaves have been found to effect soft tissues in the eyes and testes.

Wrappers & Containers

There are a number of containers and wrappers that shouldn't be used in microwave ovens.  The USDA has a great list of microwave safe materials.

Safe To Use:

• Any utensil labeled for microwave use.
• Heatproof glass (such as Pyrex, Anchor Hocking, etc.).
• Glass-ceramic (such as Corning Ware).
• Oven cooking bags.
• Baskets (straw and wood) for quick warm-ups of rolls or bread. Line the basket with napkins to absorb moisture from food.
• Most paper plates, towels, napkins and bags. For optimal safety use white, unprinted materials.
• Wax paper, parchment paper, heavy plastic wrap. Do not allow plastic wrap to touch food; vent it to allow a steam escape.
• Heat-susceptible packaging.

NOT Safe To Use:

• Cold storage containers: margarine tubs, cottage cheese and yogurt cartons, etc. These materials are not approved for cooking and chemicals can migrate into food.
• Brown paper bags and newspapers.
• Metal pans.
• Foam-insulated cups, bowls, plates or trays.
• China with metallic paint or trim.
• Chinese "take-out" containers with metal handles.
• Metal "twist ties" on package wrapping.
• Food completely wrapped in aluminum foil.
• Food cooked in any container or packaging that has warped or melted during heating.

Conclusion

Microwave ovens do not harm your food or indeed irradiate it!  The ovens also don’t irradiate you either, however we think it common sense not to stand right next to it while it’s cooking!

Common sense dictates you should let your food cool for a minute at least after cooking as the temperatures food reaches can be very high and very hot.

And be sure to keep you oven in good repair, and if you find the door broken, don’t try and bodge a repair, just get a new oven!