Is food cooked in a microwave oven bad for your health?

Is the microwave safe to use? Since we use this device so often, the question is interesting and important. The problem is hard to talk about because it is essential to tell the difference between possible causes and possible health effects when talking about them.

Can you get sick from waves?

In these ovens, microwaves that make ions are not used. According to French law, manufacturers must use a frequency between 2.4 and 2.5 gigahertz. This is the same frequency that Wi-Fi and cell phones use.

The amount of radiation that can leak out of a microwave oven is also limited by a strict set of rules. Tests have shown that these leaks are usually 10–100 times less than this standard. As you move away from the oven, you naturally get less dose.

Are we dangerously preparing food?

In a microwave oven, the water molecules in the food are moved around by the microwave waves, which heats the food. In everyday use, the cooking temperature doesn’t get much higher than 100°C, which is where the water evaporates. So, compared to other ways of cooking, the risk of making chemicals that can cause cancer is much lower. People shouldn’t do physical experiments for fun in a microwave because the results could be dangerous.

The National Health Security Agency (Anses) recommends that people follow the rules set by the makers of food that can be heated in the microwave. Exceed the time or space available If you follow the cooking times on the box, chemicals may get into the meal.

Affect the number of nutrients in food?

Several studies have been done to determine how healthy foods cooked or reheated in the microwave are. Except for vitamin B1, food cooked in the microwave often keeps more nutritional value than food cooked in other ways. This is because the microwave cooks food quickly.

The microwave is the best way to keep food’s nutrients.

The only “danger” on your plate is that food that has been heated loses some of its health benefits. But it’s too bad that people are afraid of microwaves because they would be one of the best ways to keep nutrients. When you cook in water, some healthy nutrients get into the water. Because of this, more people want to steam or use the microwave. Antioxidants, which slow the start of diseases like cancer and early skin aging, will be partially destroyed. But the physicist promises that it will be done the same way as cooking with steam or water.

Jean-Michel County says there is no danger from the waves used to heat your dish after serving it. “When the appliance is off, neither the food nor the oven has microwaves.” A professor at the Sorbonne uses the example that when you turn off your phone, it stops sending out signals. In a paper about home appliances, the World Health Organization (WHO) also emphasizes this point: Bear in mind that the food prepared in a microwave does not contain any radioactive elements. It is beautiful to consume food that has been heated in a microwave.

But the scientist brings up a real worry: late boiling. Since microwaves don’t heat the walls of the containers, they can’t hold the steam bubbles that may form when the water boils. But even a tiny thing, like a sugar cube, added to a heated liquid a few seconds after it comes out of the microwave can cause bubbles to form. This can lead to a late boil that could cause the fluid to spill out of its container and burn you. Jean-Michel Court says you should wait about 30 seconds before eating or drinking anything that just came out of the microwave. This only happens sometimes, so you should wait.

When heat and plastic don’t go together?

Be careful to put your food in the proper containers when cooking in the microwave. This is also true when cooking in the oven or a saucepan (this is also valid for cooking in the oven or even in a saucepan). For example, you should avoid plastic storage containers and other plastic dishes because, when heated, they might give off dangerous chemicals like hormone disruptors. If you have no choice, check that the number 2, 4, or 5 is inside a triangle on the plastic to ensure it is as safe as possible. Bisphenol A is a hormone-disrupting chemical that is no longer sold in France but may still be used. It is found in containers with the number 7. On its website, UFC-Que Choisir says, “If you have it, don’t use it.”

How to get close to a microwave that is on? Not dangerous either?

A well-functioning microwave can terrify people quickly. There may be leaks if the oven needs to be in better shape. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the European Electrotechnical Commission (CENELEC) have determined a maximum permissible exposure of 50 watts per square meter, located 5 centimeters from the edge of the oven. “Much below the global limit” is how the EPA describes these amounts of pollution. Jean-Michel County stated that fifty watts were a small amount of power. Visitors to beaches use up to 1 kW/m2 of solar energy during the warm summer months.

Because the radiation levels are already at a lower level than those that have been shown to be harmful to humans, it will not take as much time for them to decline when you depart. According to the World Health Organization, a person who is standing 50 centimeters away from an oven is exposed to 25% of the radiation that another person who is standing just 5 centimeters away is exposed to.

Microwaves did not become ubiquitous in American households until the 1970s and 1980s, when they were first introduced. We would have been able to find any statistical evidence that demonstrated the dangers of utilizing microwaves if there was any. It is conceivable to make comparisons between people who have used it and those who will use it in the future due to the fact that not everyone has used it in the same manner. To the best of our knowledge, there is no evidence to support this. The scientific community has come to the conclusion that it is not comparable to stealth smartphones.

Criminals acknowledge the importance of conducting additional research and support this position. As the head of Crim, Catherine Goutier, stated, “Compared to food, we have almost no data on toxicity.” Second, at full power, the microwave has an effective radiation radius of approximately 2.5 meters in all directions. A rule places limits on the entire amount of pollution, not just its immediate impacts. In spite of the fact that the World Health Organization has identified this radiation as having the potential to cause cancer, no long-term safety criterion has been determined.