It's a common urban legend: Stand too close to a microwave, and the body
could absorb second-hand radiation
and even (ack!) increase the risk of
cancer. But is there actually any truth to
this one? We decided to find out if the
FDA can back up its claim that microwaves are perfectly safe.


Catchin' Some Waves — Why
It Matters

Microwaves are a type of electromagnetic wave (shocker, right?),
just likeUV rays and radio waves. Instead of cooking food with heat like a
conventional oven, microwave ovens "excite" atoms (or get 'em all moving around), cooking food evenly
throughout rather than from the
outside in (like an oven does). The health concerns surrounding this
modern cooking method are two-fold:
There's the food that comes out of the
microwave, and there's also concern
over the waves microwaves emit. Some researchers suggest getting the cells that make up food all hot and
bothered from microwaving them
causes chemical changes in the food. When the cells are altered, they claim,
the body digests them differently, and
the abnormal digestion process might
increase the risk of developing
cancerous cells. However, evidence of
this claim in reputable, peer-reviewed journals is hard (read: impossible) to
come by, and the USDA maintains that food exposed to this type of
radiation does not transfer it to our
bodies. Moreover, any amount of radiation created by microwaves is way
below the threshold of what could
cause damage to humans. In fact, some
studies suggest exposing food to
electromagnetic rays can actually kill
bacteria, making it safer to eat



Time to Hang Ten? — The
Answer/Debate



But the potential damage to food isn't
the only concern over microwaves.
Many also worry about standing too
close to these radiation-emitting
beasts. So let's get one thing straight— microwaves do emit radiation, technically speaking, but it's not the DNA-damaging radiation we're used to hearing about. Microwaves, along with
radio waves from (you guessed it) radio
and cell phone towers, are types of non-ionizing radiation. Despite significant research, scientists have struggled to prove a definitive link between non-ionizing radiation and
cancer— but there have been several studies that show a correlation . Questionable, we know. But let's assume for a second that
microwaves could cause cancer. Just
because they're "nuking" the food
doesn't mean microwaves are releasing those same rays into the environment (or into us, the impatient bystanders
awaiting steamy ramen noodles). The FDA actually keeps a pretty tight lid on how many waves microwaves can
actually emit, and that number is far lower than any amount that could cause actual harm. The FDA does note that upkeep is important, though— damage to hinges or latches could
allow more radiation to be released. As
long as it's in good working order, the
more likely danger posed by a
microwave is in the form of burns from
over-heated food or even exploding superheated water (yeah, really).

The Takeaway There's no evidence that proves
microwaves can release enough
radiation to actually do any damage.

source : http://greatist.com/health/are-microwaves-really-health-hazard