Mullardman
Moderately extreme...
It often strikes me that the operative word for many people is the dreaded 'RADIATION'. It scares the s**t out of people and particlularly those of an age to remember the horrors which emerged from the 'casual' use of Radium products in the early 20thC. Also obviously those who were a bit chronologically closer to the whole Hiroshima/Nagasaki thing and the post WWII arms race.
So, I have known people who believed that Microwave ovens somehow made food 'radioactive'. which is of course rubbish.
If we get over the idea that microwave radiation has any sort of lasting presence once the source (the magnetron) is switched off.. we then have those who fear 'leakage'. It clearly can happen, hence the admonitions by manufacturers not to dismantle microwave equipment, use kit with faulty doors etc., etc. But, the only effect of microwaves from ovens on human anatomy would be to cause burns, and ISTM that this is far more likely to happen with any form of 'conventional' oven heated by gas, electricity or solid fuel.
From Wiki:
Much of the fear of microwaves seems to me to derive from either 'guilt by association' ( by erroneous association with ionising radiation) or a simple failure to understand the physics.
The most extreme example of the 'Guilt by Association' approach I've seen was some ultra vegan bloke on the telly who said he would never consider eating tomatoes, because they were from the 'same family' as Deadly Nightshade. (Solanum) This of course is true, but then so are potatoes and aubergines among others, not to mention the whole Capsicum family of peppers and chillies, also part of the Solanaceae. This whole approach is analagous to refusing to eat onions because daffodils are poisonous.
Mull
So, I have known people who believed that Microwave ovens somehow made food 'radioactive'. which is of course rubbish.
If we get over the idea that microwave radiation has any sort of lasting presence once the source (the magnetron) is switched off.. we then have those who fear 'leakage'. It clearly can happen, hence the admonitions by manufacturers not to dismantle microwave equipment, use kit with faulty doors etc., etc. But, the only effect of microwaves from ovens on human anatomy would be to cause burns, and ISTM that this is far more likely to happen with any form of 'conventional' oven heated by gas, electricity or solid fuel.
From Wiki:
Direct microwave exposure
Further information: Microwave burn and Microwave § Effects on health
Direct microwave exposure is not generally possible, as microwaves emitted by the source in a microwave oven are confined in the oven by the material out of which the oven is constructed. Furthermore, ovens are equipped with redundant safety interlocks, which remove power from the magnetron if the door is opened. This safety mechanism is required by United States federal regulations.[54] Tests have shown confinement of the microwaves in commercially available ovens to be so nearly universal as to make routine testing unnecessary.[55] According to the United States Food and Drug Administration's Center for Devices and Radiological Health, a U.S. Federal Standard limits the amount of microwaves that can leak from an oven throughout its lifetime to 5 milliwatts of microwave radiation per square centimeter at approximately 5 cm (2 in) from the surface of the oven.[56] This is far below the exposure level currently considered to be harmful to human health.[57]
The radiation produced by a microwave oven is non-ionizing. It therefore does not have the cancer risks associated with ionizing radiation such as X-rays and high-energy particles. Long-term rodent studies to assess cancer risk have so far failed to identify any carcinogenicity from 2.45 GHz microwave radiation even with chronic exposure levels (i.e. large fraction of life span) far larger than humans are likely to encounter from any leaking ovens.[58][59] However, with the oven door open, the radiation may cause damage by heating. Every microwave oven sold has a protective interlock so that it cannot be run when the door is open or improperly latched.
Microwaves generated in microwave ovens cease to exist once the electrical power is turned off. They do not remain in the food when the power is turned off, any more than light from an electric lamp remains in the walls and furnishings of a room when the lamp is turned off. They do not make the food or the oven radioactive. Compared to conventional cooking, the nutritional content of some foods may be altered differently, but generally in a positive way by preserving more micronutrients - see above. There is no indication of detrimental health issues associated with microwaved food.[60]
There are, however, a few cases where people have been exposed to direct microwave radiation, either from appliance malfunction or deliberate action.[61][62] The general effect of this exposure will be physical burns to the body, as human tissue, particularly the outer fat and muscle layers, has similar composition to some foods that are typically cooked in microwave ovens and so experiences similar dielectric heating effects when exposed to microwave electromagnetic radiation.
Chemical exposure
Some magnetrons have ceramic insulators with beryllium oxide (beryllia) added. The beryllium in such oxides is a serious chemical hazard if crushed then inhaled or ingested. In addition, beryllia is listed as a confirmed human carcinogen by the IARC;[citation needed] therefore, broken ceramic insulators or magnetrons should not be handled. This is a danger if the microwave oven becomes physically damaged, if the insulator cracks, or when the magnetron is opened and handled, yet not during normal usage.
Much of the fear of microwaves seems to me to derive from either 'guilt by association' ( by erroneous association with ionising radiation) or a simple failure to understand the physics.
The most extreme example of the 'Guilt by Association' approach I've seen was some ultra vegan bloke on the telly who said he would never consider eating tomatoes, because they were from the 'same family' as Deadly Nightshade. (Solanum) This of course is true, but then so are potatoes and aubergines among others, not to mention the whole Capsicum family of peppers and chillies, also part of the Solanaceae. This whole approach is analagous to refusing to eat onions because daffodils are poisonous.
Mull