Is Your Microwave
Oven Safe?
By Lisa Poisso
Coffee or hot chamomile tea before
breakfast … last night’s leftovers for lunch …
a frozen lasagna for dinner … What would you do without
your handy-dandy microwave? Most of us routinely “nuke”
foods throughout the day — but are microwave ovens safe?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says yes, microwaves
are safe. The FDA, which has regulated microwave safety since
1971, says it “believes that ovens that meet the FDA standard
and are used according to the manufacturer's instructions are
safe for use.” But the agency also notes that questions
still remain and offers safety precautions to keep you and your
family safe.
How safe is your oven?
Inside your microwave oven, an electron tube called a magnetron
produces the microwaves, which bounce around inside the oven’s
metal interior until they are absorbed by food. The microwaves
cause water molecules in the food to vibrate, producing heat that
cooks the food. Since the microwave energy is changed to heat
as soon as it is absorbed by food, it cannot make food radioactive
or “contaminated.”
All microwave ovens manufactured since October 1971 are covered
by FDA safety standards. These standards limit the amount of microwaves
that can leak from an oven throughout its lifetime and require
ovens to have two independent locking systems that stop the production
of microwaves the moment the latch is released or the door is
opened. A mandatory monitoring system cuts off operation in case
one or both locking systems fail.
So what about that noise your microwave makes for a moment after
the door is opened, you ask? It’s the fan, and the sound
doesn’t mean that microwaves are still being produced. Once
the door is opened, the oven turns off and the microwaves disappear.
They don’t linger in the oven or your food.
Still, the FDA leaves some wiggle room in declaring microwave
ovens completely safe, saying that it continues to reassess the
situation as new information becomes available.
What about microwaving
itself?
While a good deal of research exists on the effects of exposure
to high levels of microwaves, less is known about what happens
to people with long-term, low-level exposure. The studies that
do exist leave questions. One study noted by the FDA showed that
repeated exposure to low-level microwave radiation does not cause
cataracts (common in cases of acute microwave exposure) in rabbits.
On the other hand, some animals display avoidance reactions when
exposed to low levels of microwaves — that is, they try
to get away from the microwaves. Also noted were a decreased ability
to perform certain tasks, genetic changes and immune responses
(the body reacts as if protecting itself from a disease). “While
these and similar effects have been observed in animals, their
significance for human health remains unclear,” claims the
FDA.
You used to see signs warning people with pacemakers away from
any restaurant or business where microwave ovens were in use.
Today’s cardiac pacemakers and other medical devices are
shielded against electrical interference, and most places no longer
post warning signs. Still, people with pacemakers may wish to
consult their physicians about microwave use and safety.
Are there even more dangers associated with microwave ovens? Some
groups claim there are. Web sites and articles have raised issues
of nutrient loss, chemical reactions in foods that are different
from those occurring during conventional heating and the creation
of cancer-causing substances when plastics are heated. Visit one
web site that shares these concerns at www.mercola.com.
FDA tips
for microwave safety
• Follow the manufacturer's instruction manual for recommended
operating procedures and safety precautions for your oven model.
• Don't operate an oven if the door does not close firmly
or is bent, warped or otherwise damaged.
• Never operate an oven if you have reason to believe
it will continue to operate with the door open.
• To add to the margin of safety already built into the
oven, don't stand directly against an oven (and don't allow
children to do this) for long periods of time while it is operating.
© Lisa Poisso; this article
first appeared at Dallas
Child magazine
NFO Editor-in-Chief Lisa Poisso
is a writer and editor specializing in attachment parenting, natural
family living and — in her “other” life —
gaming.
