“Don’t stand in front of the microwave! You’ll get cancer.” Growing up, we hear this at home repetitively over and over again. In contrast to this widely believed myth however, microwave ovens do not “give cancer” to people. The mechanism that a microwave functions by is not so complex, but the assumptions made around it are questionable.
Much of our world today revolves around convenience. We often see people choosing convenience over cost, quality, conscience, and sometimes even safety. In this context, microwaves are fantastic to use in daily life – the energy efficiency, ease of use, and rapid processing time make them increasingly popular.
But how exactly do microwaves work? This is a question that needs to be addressed before we discuss anything else. Simply put, microwaves produce radiation that is absorbed by water molecules in whatever is inside the microwave. These water molecules then vibrate and produce heat, causing the food to cook. This mechanism is what allows microwave ovens to heat our food in such a short span of time, while the chemical structure of the food components are not altered in any way.
In The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a study found that when microwaved, broccoli retained its minerals all except for vitamin C. What does this imply? Nothing much at all. It is actually easy to lose vitamin C in any type of cooking process, because of its volatility. Microwaves are not the only ones at fault. Luckily, we have raw fruits and vegetables that are abundant in vitamin C to compensate for this deficit.
So what about being physically near a microwave when it is functioning and emitting radiation? The fabrication that microwave ovens cause cancer comes from the suggestion that the energy given off by microwaves is enough to damage one’s DNA. However, Peter Valberg found little evidence to support this relationship between microwave exposure and cancer causation in his study conducted in 1997. He concluded against the existence of a relationship, and very few studies have been carried out after Valberg’s review.
Microwave ovens do not destroy all the nutrients in our food, and neither do they literally cause cancer in humans. It has never been proven that microwaves are actually harmful, whether indirectly or directly. It’s time for the public to recognize the stale saying that “microwaves give you cancer” as ignorant and untrue.
– Sarah Choi
