Is Your Microwave Hurting You?

The question has been around for as long as this common kitchen appliance has been a part of modern households: Does being near a microwave oven pose a risk to you or your family? Can they cause cancer? Or radiation burns?

Well, no. But there is a hidden risk you should be aware of.

How Microwaves Work

Microwave ovens use electromagnetic radiation to heat your food. More specifically, they use microwaves to get the water molecules in food to vibrate rapidly. If you remember your physics class from high school, molecules vibrating equals heat, so get the water molecules to vibrate fast enough and you have hot food in an instant!

Of course, microwaves are radiation, on the same spectrum as X-rays or gamma rays. So naturally the common user might be wary of a device that produces radiation just sitting in their kitchen. But fear not!

Why Microwaves Are (Generally) Safe

First off, not all radiation is created equal. Microwave radiation is non-ionizing radiation, just like radio waves and Wi-Fi; this means that they don’t make any molecules they contact radioactive, and they can’t harm cells through direct contact. Therefore, the chances of them causing cancer are basically nil.

“Okay,” our skeptical reader might protest, “that’s all well and good, but it’s still hot! It could burn me!”

And yes, you are right on that front. Exposure to microwaves can cause burns and cataracts if they hit your eye. However, microwave ovens are overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which takes microwave oven safety very seriously.

The number of safety features embedded in each microwave oven is staggering. All microwave ovens are programmed and designed to only produce microwaves only when the door is closed; they all have automatic shut-off the second the door is opened. The doors are constructed with two interlocking systems to ensure the door closes properly and microwave ovens are supposed to not function if the interlocking systems fail. Moreover, the ovens are designed to contain all the microwaves they generate, so the food and the food alone only absorbs the microwaves.

In other words, the FDA recognizes that having a radiation-producing machine in your kitchen can pose a risk and has taken steps to make sure they are one of the safest gadgets to cook with.

Of course, there are some risks.

When Microwaves Pose a Risk

Never use a broken microwave. That seems obvious but it bears repeating: never use a microwave that has a broken door, has a door that won’t seal fully, or appears to be damaged in any other way.

The FDA recommends that you do not stand directly in front of your microwave oven while it is operating and to not press your face against it while it cooks. This is mostly for precautionary reasons, just in case something happens to the microwave while it is cooking. The administration notes that microwave injuries are quite rare and that pregnant people and people with medical devices can safely use the microwave oven.

However, you do need to be careful because microwave ovens can cause injury by heating the food and its containers too much. You can absolutely burn yourself touching a hot container coming out of the microwave, so make sure you exercise caution when taking your food out when the timer goes off!

So, in short for microwave safety: oven mitts, yes! Hazmat suit, no!

References: Non-Ionizing Radiation Used in Microwave Ovens | Is It Safe to Stand in Front of Microwave Ovens? | How Bad Is It Really to Stand in Front of the Microwave?