The Great Microwave Coverup!

By PaulOzark • July 6, 2010

The writer of this paper is a microwave oven tester who uses a sophisticated Holaday instrument calibrated annually by an EPA laboratory. In all fairness, I must say that microwave ovens test out with less radiation leakage than they used to 10 years ago, but I still must admit that I hate microwave ovens for two reasons at least.

1) It has no place in the American kitchen. Why? In the electromagnetic spectrum there is nothing but a judgmental line of demarcation separating X-rays from microwaves, and like all judgments, there is an enormous difference of opinion among scientists as to really which is which. We all know that our government is very careful about sending inspectors around to check the radiation emissions from x-ray machines located in dentists offices and in hospitals, but no one has ever had a government inspector ring their door bell to check their microwave oven. It is assumed that since it passed the test at the manufacturing plant that no damage will ever happen to it. It is true that there are cheap testers available in stores, but since they are not ever calibrated, they are not to be depended upon. Similar to an x-ray machine, a microwave oven has a tremendous potential for harm if something goes wrong. It belongs, not in a kitchen, but in a laboratory where it is subject to regulation.

It is fairly well known now that for years the Russians bombarded our American embassy with radiation resulting in the expected cancers in our embassy personnel. Could this be an indication of a fact that the Russians have studied this subject of the biological effects of radiation much more than we have or that we are willing to admit officially? It is known that their safety standards are set at least 1,000 times more strict than our own comparable standards for safety.

I am also concerned with the apathetic manner with which microwave ovens are treated in the kitchen. Most manufacturers do warn about staring into the oven while the food is cooking, and yet I observe families that take this advice very lightly– at least, I see children and grown ups alike doing that very thing. Most everyone knows what ultraviolet light damages eyes, how much more can microwaves be a problem? I believe that many studies have been done with regard to microwaves and cataracts, but for obvious reasons they are not being widely disseminated. For one, such as I , who have cataracts from 50 years in a laboratory setting, I believe there should be more information given to microwave oven users.

2) The second reason I dislike microwave ovens is the more serious situation. What about the quality of the food that comes out of the oven and is immediately consumed – free radicals and all. With the depressed immune systems of the average affluent American, the last thing we need is another increase in our free radicals. It is well documented that microwaves are powerful enough to rupture cell walls of the food matrix, and this is undoubtedly why protein molecules are altered from microwave cooking. Again very little federal research dollars are being spent to determine just how much less vitamin content is found in microwaved food. The truth is we do not know.

The question is: Do we want to know? Why not just use a Jet Stream oven?

When I first saw the Jet Stream Oven advertised on TV, I was unimpressed and thought it was just another hot gimmick. In a few weeks, my wife found one in a major health show and bought it. I was still not impressed, until she began to use it in the home. Now I noticed that the food had a delightful flavor and consistency and was even browned nicely. I recall that microwaved food is never browned at all We found that acorn squash does very well— and so quickly.

Most importantly, I timed her cooking intervals of meal preparation and found that it was doing the cooking in about the same time that was advertised for microwave cooking manuals. Then was impressed, because I saw an opportunity for the average busy American to disenchant himself or herself from the spell of microwave cooking. Speed is the essence of American life as most of us live it, so trying to get anyone to switch to another pattern of living that takes more time is just ridiculous to imagine. But here was a viable alternative!

Later on, I learned how to use the oven myself, and even do some simple cooking for my wife. I also found out how simple and easy it was to clean, and how little space it took on the counter. Now our big kitchen oven stands unused. I am thinking of taking it out and substituting a dish washer in its place since I get to do the dishes sometimes.

All in all, we like our Jet Stream oven enough to never even think about cooking with a microwave. Most chemists use microwave for laboratory purposes. This is one chemist that will never have one even in his lab.

In case the reader would like to do some more research on the subject, I would suggest the following sources:

Carcinogen Information Bulletin—Center For the Biology of Natural Systems- Washington University ST Louis, MD 63130 —#12 July 1986

The Zapping of America by Paul Brodeur—W.W. Norton & Co Inc. New York
“Biological Effects of Radiowaves and Microwaves” by Grant Physics in Technology Volume 2 Number 3 May 1980 Page 99.

Cross currents-The Perils of Electropollution by Robert 0. Becker, M Jeremy P. Tardier, Los Angeles, CA.

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