Is My Microwave Nuking Me?
Demystifying microwave oven myths, and how to cook safely
The idea that microwaves can harm us dates back to 1973, around 20 years after the appliances were first sold, when Consumers Union warned “none could be considered ‘completely safe,’ in part because there was no solid data on safe levels of radiation emission,” according to an historical account in the tech magazine IEEE Spectrum. The FDA swiftly debunked the notion back then, declaring microwave ovens safe.
But the myth never died, and perhaps grew with the 2016 “Havana syndrome” scare, when US diplomats in Cuba experienced a slew of strange symptoms like auditory hallucinations, headaches, and dizziness, and thought they were being targeted by microwave weapons, all eventually disproven or found to lack credible scientific evidence.
Similar paranoia was questioned closer to home. While using the microwave and standing my usual 3 feet away, obviously to avoid cancer, my sister rolled her eyes at me, declaring that microwaves could never, ever cause cancer.
I realized how little I understood about this kitchen gadget that I use constantly, and since microwaves are in more than 90% of homes, I thought it was time to dive in and learn how to safely operate them and dispel common myths. But first, I needed to find out how…
