The microwave oven can be called a conversion product, i.e. use for peaceful purposes of various products that were originally created for military purposes. During the development of radars, the developers noticed that when exposed to powerful electromagnetic radiation of decimeter the range of wavelengths generated by the magnetron for many objects, incl. for food, their fast warming up. As a result, a microwave oven with an appropriate design, Figure 1, has become an almost indispensable element in the interior of a modern apartment.
Like any other obscure device, a microwave oven becomes a source of various conjectures about health. There are many home-grown experts who, often hiding behind pseudo-scientific terms, justify its harmfulness. How justified are these rumors? Let's try to figure it out.
Is microwave radiation dangerous?
It is a fact that high frequency radiation has a harmful effect on the human body. The radiation generated by the microwave is powerful enough. To understand this, it is enough just to look in the passport and make sure that the power they consume is at least hundreds of watts. The operating frequency of the 2.45 GHz magnetron is specifically dedicated to the use of microwave ovens immediately after the war.
Accordingly, the first myth immediately appears that at the time of heating the food, the owner of the microwave is exposed to the action of microwave radiation, Figure 2, which, in terms of the nature of the effect on the human body, is akin to radioactive radiation.
There are two mistakes in this statement.
The first of them is that microwave radiation, with all the undesirability of its effect on a living organism due to relatively low frequency is noticeably less harmful than radioactive at equal power source.
The second mistake - in a working microwave oven, radiation is localized inside the working volume, Figure 3. Otherwise, a user whose body structure differs little from the structure of food would instantly feel warmth. Moreover, any microwave oven sold through legal channels has a corresponding certificate for compliance with sanitary standards for the level of electromagnetic radiation.
Does microwave radiation change the structure of heated foods?
Second myth: when microwave foods are heated under the influence of HF radiation, their structure changes. with the emergence of a large number of carcinogens, which is accompanied by a significant increase in the risk of cancer.
There is no basis for such a statement, since heating of the product takes place as a result of the fact that under the action of the electromagnetic field begins the vibrations of the water molecules contained in the product, which are converted into warmly. Heating according to this scheme is very similar to heating during cooking, fundamentally differing from it only in that it is not superficial, but volumetric.
Conclusion
The microwave does not harm humans. This conclusion is supported by studies conducted 12 years ago by the World Health Organization. The only one who should not come closer than one meter to a working oven is cores with a pacemaker, the electronics of which may be disrupted as a result of interaction with Microwave field. Everyone else needs to monitor the health of the equipment and purchase only legally supplied devices.