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Standing in front of the microwave

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LAN_403

Chip Fixes

Sat May 14 2011, 03:45AM

Registered Member #3781 Joined: Sat Mar 26 2011, 02:25AM
Location:
Posts: 701

We have all done it, watching your food (or whatever else) slowly spinning around on the tray.
My family and I were at a family friends for dinner and their youngest child went to go microwave some food, the dad told him not to stand in front of the microwave. Is it really that harmful to your health or is this just another myth?

magnet18

Sat May 14 2011, 04:16AM

Registered Member #3766 Joined: Sun Mar 20 2011, 05:39AM
Location:

Posts: 624

Probably not too bad for you, but it is ionizing radiation, and some will leak, so I personally don't.

Bjørn

Sat May 14 2011, 05:18AM

Registered Member #27 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 02:20AM
Location: Hyperborea
Posts: 2058

The wavelength is far too long to be ionising. If you keep at an armlengths distance you are farily safe even if there is a very large leak (like half the door missing).

If the microwave oven is not damaged the biggest danger by far is the hot food.

Sulaiman

Sat May 14 2011, 06:11AM

Registered Member #162 Joined: Mon Feb 13 2006, 10:25AM
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 3140

Children's heads are about the height of a typical microwave oven installation
and they are bound to press their faces against the window to watch inside
so it's prudent to keep children far from microwave ovens.

Children (of all ages) have a tendency to play, press buttons and put stuff where designers didn't expect it to be. (VCR tape slots, fdd/dvd drives etc.) so treating the microwave oven as a dangerous item is also a good idea.

When is the last time you checked the microwave leakage from your own oven?

Proud Mary

Sat May 14 2011, 09:00AM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Here is a Council of Europe dangerous product withdrawal notice, to give you some idea of the design faults commonly found in microwave ovens.

The Rapid Alert System for Non-Food Products (RAPEX)
Weekly overview report of RAPEX notifications -

report 40 - 0655/06 2006

Microwave oven â€œHaierâ€.
Type/number of model: MD-2485EG.
Description: Unknown.
Country of origin: China.

Risk of electric shock, injury, fire and burns.

This product poses a risk of:

- electric shock because there is no connection between protective circuit and fastening screw accessible to the users which may be powered,

- injuries because the frame casing of the grill heater on the upper wall-(inside the heating chamber) has sharp edges,

- fire because there are no proper insulation distances what can result in exceeding permissible temperature of combustion,

- burn because the microwave oven does not contain a warning â€œAttention â€“ hot surfaceâ€.

Withdrawal from the market ordered by the authority.

Steve Conner

Sat May 14 2011, 11:47AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

BjÃ¸rn wrote ...

The wavelength is far too long to be ionising. If you keep at an armlengths distance you are farily safe even if there is a very large leak (like half the door missing).

Correct, the radiation from a microwave oven has only one ten-thousandth the energy of the infrared radiation from a BBQ grill. Which is why you can't brown food in the microwave, except by drying it out until it catches fire. :-x

magnet18

Sat May 14 2011, 01:13PM

Registered Member #3766 Joined: Sun Mar 20 2011, 05:39AM
Location:

Posts: 624

So it's not ionizing, my bad, but it will heat water molecules, and heating water molecules inside someones head is bad.

Also, when I do try to look at food up close, my eyes feel funny and I have to look away, so I avoid mine.

uzzors2k

Sat May 14 2011, 01:19PM

Registered Member #95 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 04:57PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 1308

The inside of your head won't heat up first.

Haven't you ever tried to warm up leftovers before?

Steve Conner

Sat May 14 2011, 01:38PM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

If your microwave is anything like mine, your nose and ears would explode and go crispy, but your brain would stay stone cold and completely unappetising.

There are known cases where small animals and even baby humans have maliciously been put in microwave ovens. The injuries received were burns to whatever piece of skin was nearest the antenna inside the oven. Gross, I know, blame Wikipedia.

I wouldn't be surprised if the instruction booklet carried a warning like "Watching the food go round may cause dizziness"

magnet18

Sat May 14 2011, 02:10PM

Registered Member #3766 Joined: Sun Mar 20 2011, 05:39AM
Location:

Posts: 624

Come on, haven't you seen kickass?
the head always explodes first :P

On a fun side note, put about 20 cellphones around a piece of popcorn and call them all at the same time. It pops. I've seen it.
I talk on my cellphone only when absolutely necessary.

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