Previously on this site, I touched on microwave oven EMF radiation, and I felt like I should focus more on the subject in this article. I have had a microwave oven since I was a child. I do not cook dinner from the microwave, but I am sure you can purchase a microwave oven cook book online somewhere. I am sure some enjoy the tasty morsels of nutrition that come from cooking with a microwave oven. I do not, however. I primarily use the microwave oven to reheat left over food, pop popcorn before watching a movie on the television, defrosting something when feeling rushed and, lastly, heating up a can of soup. That is really it.
I think, for me personally, I have no idea why I have a microwave oven taking up a decent amount of space on my counters in the first place. My house’s microwave oven sits in the corner of my kitchen counters. I know many others have the microwave oven suspended above the range of the stove. I am sure, in my case, I could have more counter space if I just unplug it, move it to the garage and see if there is an actual need for it in the first place. I am pretty confident a week or two will go by before anyone in my household even notices. When someone does finally notice, I will just exclaim, hey, go into the kitchen cabinet, grab a small pot, and reheat the soup that way. It may take about 2 minutes longer, but it will work.
Maybe someday, someone will create a microwave oven app for our cell phones, where you could just click on the app, point your cell phone at the frozen chicken breast and watch it defrost. Lights around us flickering. I think the app should also make a humming microwave oven sound as it defrosts the chicken. Maybe a special add on could be a glass turntable to place underneath the chicken breast. It will slowly rotate as your cell phone defrosts your dinner. I am sure it will get stuck though and just stop rotating. Our cell phone app can then make an annoying noise to indicate the turntable is stuck. Food splattering like it can in the microwave may be an issue, however. Perhaps the cell phone app can finally fix this issue in a future release.
What is EMF Radiation?
Anyway, what is EMF radiation? I am sure you did not google how to defrost chicken with a cell phone app to get to this webpage in the first place. So, you probably are familiar with EMF radiation and the impact it can have on our overall well-being. That said, I feel I should quickly try to explain EMF radiation.
Basically, EMF is actually a form of radiation that is emitted by electric devices that transmit a signal. A number of this is actually ionizing, such as X-rays. However, a good deal of EMF radiation is non-ionizing, like the type that is transmitted by your mobile phone, your Fitbit fitness tracker, or your laptop. While government agencies as well as federal guidelines suggest that small amounts of exposure to non-ionizing radiation are actually not recognized to cause cancer or serious health concerns, independent research indicates that this may not be entirely accurate.
From headaches to fatigue to sleeping issues, from fertility issues to depression, EMF can affect us in many ways. Below are a few of the ways:
- Memory issues
- Cancer concerns
- Problems with our reproduction system. Fertility issues
- Genetic disorders
- Headaches and depression
- Tinnitus (perception of noise or ringing in the ears)
- Fatigue, a general feeling of tiredness, daytime sleepiness
- Disturbances of sleep, insomnia
- Depression
- Loss of appetite
- Anxiety
- Difficult time concentrating
- Feeling faint, dizziness, nausea
- Rash, skin irritation, itchy sensation
Beware of the Microwave
Beware of the microwave. I wrote that line with the voice in my head enunciating that fragmented sentence as it would when I see those beware of dog signs hanging on the chain link fences of some yards in my neighborhood.
So how does the microwave oven emit EMF radiation and how much radiation does it radiate? Well, the microwave oven emits EMF radiation to heat the food inside. It uses something called a magnetron to take the electrical power from your microwave’s power outlet and transform that electrical power into high-powered microwaves or radio waves. This magnetron then delivers these microwaves into the inner compartment of the microwave oven where your food is waiting to be heated up. That morsel of food then absorbs the radiation jumping around within the microwave’s compartment. When the food absorbs the radiation, the molecules of the food itself vibrate, and this is what causes the food to heat up and defrost or cook. The more molecules bouncing around the inner compartment of the microwave, the faster the water molecules of the food vibrate and the hotter the food gets.
Because the microwave oven has a solid compartment that holds our tasty food and keeps the majority of the radiation inside, most people are mainly concerned about the amount of radiation that is leaked out from the microwave oven. The amount of EMF radiation that is emitted from a microwave oven is said to be about 14 volts per meter. A federal standard actually restricts the amount of microwaves that can leak out from a microwave oven. Still, with any amount of EMF radiation emitted from a microwave oven there should be a concern. After all, not all of the radiation that heats your food is contained inside the compartment. Some of this radiation will leak out.
Ways to Minimize our Exposure to EMF Radiation from Microwave Oven Use
Obviously, not using the microwave oven at all is the best way to minimize the EMF exposure from it. If, however, you feel the need heat your leftover chicken fried rice in the microwave, here are a couple of ways to minimize your exposure.
- Do not stare directly into the microwave’s window as your food is cooking. Be patient. The microwave oven will not use the glare from your spying eye to cook the food any quicker.
- Along the same lines, try to remain a good distance away from the microwave oven as the food is being prepared (five feet or more is recommended).
- Plan ahead best you can. Instead of utilizing the microwave oven for defrosting food prior to cooking, plan ahead and defrost the food in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter. Use a bowl of room temperature water to help with the process.
- Be careful not to overcook your microwaved meal.
Related Products that Can Help Reduce EMF Exposure from the Microwave
There are not a lot of products currently on the market that are said to minimize the harmful EMF radiation exposure from the microwave and/or the leakage of radiation from the microwave. To find out how much EMF radiation your microwave is emitting, a good EMF meter is suggested. Please see the various EMF meters in our affiliate store of recommended products here.
That said, there are a couple of products out there that shield or cover the microwave window in an attempt to minimize the amount of EMF exposure. A good video of this type of product is below. The video does show the amount of EMF radiation is reduced when a shield is in use, however these products only claim to reduce the amount of exposure by approximately 50-70% and only cover the door or window area of the microwave.
In Conclusion
To summarize, in order to truly reduce the amount of EMF radiation we are exposed to by a microwave oven by 100%, do not use the microwave oven at all. One of my favorite TV shows is that of Chef Gordon Ramsey trying to turn around struggling restaurants. He seems to consistently recognize when a dinner has been reheated in the microwave. I will admit I do not have the palette like that of a professional chef or food critic, however, I do believe that food tastes better coming out of the conventional oven rather than the microwave.
Try unplugging and removing the microwave from your kitchen counter. See if it is really is that much of a hassle to defrost or reheat leftovers in another manner. What you lose in time, may not be that big of a deal for you, and you may free up some space for your favorite cookbook or give your coffee machine some added elbow room.
Like this article? Pin it on Pinterest!
More to Explore
