The last word on microwaves

[Guest guest]

Many people seem to have some kind of strange fear of microwave

ovens, based on what I believe to be a widespread lack of

knowledge about simple physics. I am NOT a physicist and I have very

little education in this area. However I think most American

acupuncturists might want to educate themselves a little, at the

very least, if they wish to integrate with our American culture

where the people mostly are familiar with western ways of thinking

and are living daily with non-third-world technologies.

(i.e. microwave ovens)

 

I believe most of the problem comes from the association of the word

"radiation" to describe microwaves, when in fact, "microwaves" is

nothing more than a descriptive word used to describe a small portion

of the entire electromagnetic spectrum.

 

The electromagnetic spectrum is usually described by wavelength

or frequency, with the longest wavelengths being RADIO waves, and

the shortest, GAMMA waves.

If you have a "fear" of being exposed to electromagnetic radiation,

you better stay away from light bulbs because visible light (including the colors) is considered part of the same phenomenon.

IN fact, the planet earth, along with the people living on it, have

been bombarded with radio and microwaves since the beginning of time.

Oh well.

 

The discovery that large amounts of radio and microwaves could be

bombarded into certain substances, and the energy transferred to the

molecules would be transformed into thermal energy (heat) eventually

lead to the discovery of the microwave oven.

But why use microwaves instead of radio waves? Let's go back and

remember that the EM(electromagnetic) spectrum can be described by wavelength and frequency. Lower wavelength (i.e. 700 nanometer=the

color Red, 400=blue) corresponds to lower frequency (i.e. AM radio

starting in the KiloHertz range up to FM radio, higher frequency, in

the MegaHertz range).

My understanding is that the inventors of the microwave ovens didn't

use radio waves at least partially to avoid interference of radio

stations from potential leakage from the ovens.

Microwave ovens are roughly in the 2.45 GigaHertz range, well above

any FM station that your teenager maybe listening to at home.

My understanding is that the higher frequency is also somewhat easier

to prevent leakage (please someone correct me if I'm wrong here).

 

I am also lead to believe that microwaves heat MORE than just water

molecules, but also carbohydrates fats and maybe proteins.

 

Now to the part of this email everybody has been waiting for-

microwaves are not known to cause cancer! UV light, X rays and Gamma

ray radiation are all well known increase rates of cancer by causing

specific damage to DNA. This entire portion of the EM spectrum lies

at shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies than visible light.

In the EM Spectrum, MICROWAVES FALL IN THE RANGE BETWEEN RADIO WAVES

AND INFRARED LIGHT, BELOW VISIBLE LIGHT.

The damage to organic proteins caused by the thermal heat from

microwaves would not be more dangerous than from any other heat

source. Would you stick your hand in boiling water and leave it there?

of course not.

If somebody hurt a baby with microwaved milk, guess what, I'll be

it's happened millions of times more with parents heating their milk

by conventional means (and not testing the temperature first).

And what about that 8 person study? where's the double-blind study?

how about psychological affects that affect their GI tract based

on the taste of the food (everybody knows that microwave ovens don't

cook the best tasting food).

Based on what I was saying earlier, it is fully feasible to believe

that monkeys liked being microwaved. If you're cold and you are

sitting in front of a heater you will like it. of course if you sit

for too long, you can do TOO much you'll do damage, regardless if you

are in front of a conventional furnace or a microwave source.

The only people I know of who might have to be careful are those people with pacemakers, and even in that case, there is probably

not much to worry about as microwave ovens have very low leakage

levels.

 

In conclusion, I am willing to say that you will do more damage to

yourself standing out in the sun, exposed to UV light, than

standing in front of a leaky microwave oven. (as long as you don't

have it on for hours and hours at a time)

 

-Tom

 

 

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