How Safe Are Microwave Ovens?

For the millions of people who use a microwave every day to prepare food, these devices probably seem like the safest appliance in their kitchen. No flame, no hot surfaces, and nearly impossible to leave on accidentally. Just pop it in, press a few buttons, and a couple minutes later, it's steaming. This modern gadget has become indispensable for children cooking without adult supervision, college students cramped into dorms with limited access to dining halls, parents with busy lives, and the elderly.

So why has the safety of microwaves been uncertain ever since their invention?

Because they all leak.

The FDA allows a brand new oven to leak 1 milliwatt per square centimeter of radio frequency electromagnetic energy 2 inches from the door. Once it is out of the box and used at least once, those permissible levels jump to 5 milliwatts per centimeter squared. By comparison, the FCC allows levels near cellular antenna sites to be at most 580 microwatts per centimeter squared, or 0.58 milliwatts per centimeter squared. So, your trusty microwave oven in your kitchen is allowed to emit 9 times the amount of RF that is considered a hazardous level by the FCC. Not to mention, the FCC exposure guidelines only consider thermal effects to a 6'2" 220 pound man, resulting in a maximum permissible exposure (MPE) that is totally inconsiderate toward women, children, elderly, and people who feel anything besides warmth in the presence of microwave energy.

Just like cell phones, WiFi, and other sources of radio frequencies, you can find an incredible amount of information telling you microwave ovens are safe, or dangerous; whichever you'd prefer to believe.

Until I can find one health benefit of using a microwave oven, I'll be avoiding them.

Besides, there's more than one way to pop your corn.