«Investigating lives, celebrating creativity, honouring ingenuity.»

My Microwave and Me
 

Photo: SXC

MIND MAGAZINE | Microwaves are now part of our every day life without us really realizing what is going on inside this small appliance that have revolutionized cooking ever since its introduction in the seventies. But really, besides being very convenient, the thought of your food getting “nuked” isn’t very reassuring. Is it really safe to eat food possibly contaminated with electrons? And is it possible to get cancer from an overdose of radiations from the oven? People are sensitive about their health, especially when it comes to mixing two things that really shouldn’t go along: radiation and food.

What is going on inside your little oven made in Japan or China isn’t really so much rocket science after all. Back in the 50s, a scientist working at a communication centre of the U.S. Army noticed he would feel heat every time he would pass near the transmission antenna of the complex. Then one day, he had the idea that would change the world of fast cuisine: he thought of throwing a bag of popcorn seeds into the antenna to see what it would do. After seconds, the seeds started to pop, and a great invention was born! The findings of this rather improvised experiment convinced the people in the military to test this idea a little further and the microwave finally begun its journey in people’s kitchen, finally making it possible to reheat leftovers and to have a quick, warm dinner in seconds. And so, the microwave oven got popular in a period where the “space age” phenomenon made people believed that technology was going to dramatically change their lifestyle. Today, of course, the microwave is no high tech stuff and anyone can get one for fewer than $100.

The increasing usage of microwaves convinced people about its efficiency; however, a lot of uncertainty remains regarding the effects it can possibly have on humans. Firstly, there is no doubt about the dangerous effects of microwaves in ultra-large quantities, standing on a TV broadcast antenna (like the ones on top of towers and high buildings) cannot be withstood for a long a time by humans, otherwise internal burns could generate severe health hazards. Moreover, microwaves are also used for cell phones. The police uses it to give you a ticket if you’re over the speed limit and it is also used to process food like chips. But there are still doubts about what can happen for people exposed on a regular basis to low levels of radiation.
 

Advertisement

To understand how microwave ovens could be harmful for you, let’s see how it works. In the oven there is a part called the magnetron, a tube that produced electrons in a super small (micro) frequency (wave). Hundreds of times smaller than a standard FM radio wave –that can travel several kilometres – the microwaves from your oven will vanish after traveling a few centimetres. The marvel of microwaves is that it is reflected by metal but it transforms immediately in heat whenever it gets in contact with food or anything else with water in it. When food and microwaves meet, energy is transmitted to the water particles and the food starts to cook. And since that technically, the waves are trapped by the metal interior of the oven, there shouldn’t be any effects on the people standing around the apparel.

But the problem is: some (but very little) quantity of microwave leaks out of the oven to the environment around it. Yet the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) consider the level of radiation (about five milliwatts per square centimeter at a two-inch distance) is way too low to produce any harm for anyone. Yet, the FDA claims that 20 inches away from the apparel, the radiation you’ll receive will be 100 times smaller that from two inches away.

Some research was conducted with people who have to stand close to microwaves for a long time – like daycare centre personnel or people working in food processing plans - and the results of the research were rather inconclusive. Meaning there doesn’t seem to be a connection between cancer, or other health problems, and microwaves ovens. But the link hasn’t been totally ruled out either, no scientific evidence can prove microwaves are safe for humans.

People shouldn’t be concerned about using microwaves, yet they should make sure that their apparel is not damaged, like a crooked door or anything that could be a breach for microwaves emanations. So be careful and make sure you don’t stand to close to one while it’s on!


© MindMagazine.com

MAGAZINE E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION
-----------------------------
Details | Privacy Policy