Can MICROWAVE ovened food give you cancer?

by 61 replies
76
My mother would not use a microwave oven to heat her
food. She thinks that it's unnatural and would somehow
corrupt the food. She trust heat only from another source.

Many people have this same idea but is there really any science
behind it? Hardly, ...

Debunking An Internet Hoax: What Science Really Says About Microwave Ovens, Your Food And Your Health | Burn The Fat Blog - Tom Venuto.

-Ray Edwards
#off topic forum
  • Microwaves CAN hurt you, but they stop the moment the power is cut! Ironically, there are VERY dangerous radioactive items in homes today. One is MANDATED BY LAW in the US! Want to guess what they are?

    1. In the early 20th century(maybe earlier), they found a neat trick. It was used FREELY until like the late 1970s. It is HIGHLY TOXIC! Some have gotten radiation burns, and the people that applied it got various cancers because the tipped the brush with their TOUNGE!!!!!!! The item? The RADIUM glow in the dark dial!

    2. In some countries, apparently including the US, they use CESSIUM to radiate some food so it is virtually spoil proof! THAT should give you a clue as to the TOXICITY! I am unsure if they provide this domestically.

    3. I don't know WHY, but one object MANDATED BY LAW in the US, at least in many spots, etc... apparently often has one of the most deadly elements known to man. Ironically, the element is called Amerecium! Supposedly one SPECK could quickly kill you. It is lucky that they encase such a tiny amount. Anyway, chance are that you are within about 30 feet of one RIGHT NOW! ENJOY!

    Smoke Detectors and Americium

    Steve
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  • Never heard about smoke detectors before. The alpha radiation would be
    harmless but gamma radiation is another story.

    -Ray Edwards
  • Gee, will irradiating your food hurt ya? Serious? Radiation changes the molecules in your food. Not sure if the radiation hangs on and for how long, but I've never heard of radiation that doesn't hang on at least awhile. Then top that off - a lot of people heat their food in plastic of all toxic nightmares.

    You won't catch me using one either. I don't take kindly to irradiated much of anything. You can tell your mom that she's not alone.
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    • It uses electromagnetic radiation, so it is a different type of radiation. there IS a fractional kind of reverse reaction. That is how MRIs work. But it isn't the nuclear radiation that can hang on for years or centuries.

      You are right about the plastic though. THAT is probably the worst part of microwaving. ALSO, while a microwave is running, it CAN hurt tissue around it to some degree. A faraday cage WILL hold most of it at bay though. That is ANOTHER thing! faraday cages work well with MAGNETIC radiation, but don't work at all with NUCLEAR radiation.

      Steve
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  • Banned
    From the article

    And the ridiculous "study" that went viral and started all the stupidity

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    • You call it stupidity to not eat food that has had every nutrient in it destroyed or altered? Regardless of the radiant form - the nutrients are destroyed by them. And what do altered nutrients do? Serious - if you alter a nutrient and the body doesn't recognize it as such, what's the use of eating the stuff?

      Remember - we were told cell phones were safe for a long, long time, too.
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  • The funniest thing about this is consumers DID find radiation, ****MAGNETIC**** radiation. They also found an easy way to detect it, and it spread about as fast as it would have if the internet were available. This WAS like 40 years ago! People INSISTED that it pass the test before they buy the microwave.

    So WHAT HAPPENED? A NEW LAW, ALL are shielded and caged, and all of the sudden the commotion stopped. I don't know if this radiation would have triggered a Geiger counter, I think both methods DO have the same basic principle, but TRULY irradiated food will change a Geiger reading appreciably. Microwaved food won't. It will basically be invisible. And the average microwave probably has less lead in it than the average computer.

    Steve
  • I hardly ever use microwaves and am surprised how quick many people are to believe they are completely safe. Recent evidence, that is even supported by the FDA, suggests that microwaving popcorn produces substances that can be carcinogenic. And that's just one example of something that has been identified.

    Like so many other modern technologies, the fact is we really don't know all of the consequences of using microwaves. To me, it's obviously an unnatural process that destroys nutrients, not to mention flavor. It also heats things up unevenly, so that the outer part of the food tends to be too hot compared to the center.

    Just because some mainstream authority proclaims that something is safe doesn't mean that it really is. In many cases, the effects are not known. There is also extreme pressure to declare modern conveniences as safe simply because people are so attached to them. We are all too willing to give the benefit of the doubt to devices that speed things up.

    Dangers of Microwave Popcorn | Care2 Healthy Living

    The Hidden Hazards Of Microwave Cooking
    • [2] replies

    • As I am sure you are aware, you can apply that same statement to the reverse...

      Like so many subjects such as this one, we can spend hours on the internet and find articles, studies, etc. to support your (our) viewpoint.

      For me it comes down to personal preference. Like Suzanne, I have used microwaves for many (over 30) years in much the same way - heating things that cool off, etc. I love to cook, but I don't "cook" in them because I don't like how the food comes out - so that's a personal preference. But reheating - yep. Convenient. Although never in plastic. I haven't done that in years.

      Seems anything and everything can cause some illness - but so can stressing about all the stuff that's no good for you. Remember - stress kills
      • [1] reply
    • There are some INGREDIENTS in prepackaged popcorn that are HIGHLY unstable, and BECOME carcinogenic, WHEN HEATED!!!!! ONE is some artificial butter flavoring.

      BTW that is a COMMON problem! The maker of aspertame ADMITTED that aspertame has the SAME problem! ALSO, a popular meat treatment that is used on most bacon and perhaps most pork products, nitrates has the SAME problem. When heated to, I believe it is 400f, in an oxygen environment, like on earth, they become nitrites, which are carcinogenic.

      Steve
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  • Who's stressing, Mike? I have always, like Suzanne, been an excellent cook. I won't use a microwave - for anything. However, that doesn't stress me any.

    My roomie does have a microwave. I use it once in awhile to microwave my sink sponges to kill bacteria in them. Other than that, I've never considered them safe, so never used one....and don't see cooking the way I've done it all my life as being stressful, other than if I'm trying to time a large meal - and that's always been dicey, and I'm sure it is for people that add a microwave to their kitchens, too.
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    • Lots of people stress this kind of thing Sal. If you don't - awesome

      I know I don't stress it. I try to eat well, but that doesn't stop me from occasionally hitting a McDonalds, using a microwave, eating prepared processed food, deli cold cuts and so on.

      Life is too short.
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  • Banned
    I always avoided Microwave Ovens. Plenty of radiation in air these days, no need for more.
  • Banned
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  • Writing here might give you cancer due to the radiation from the computer :p

    Just kidding of course. I try to cook food in a pan whenever i can, the microwave is just something i use for emergencies.
  • I've been using a microwave since the 1970's. The tail and third arm has come in very handy at times.
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