Many people are convinced that radiation from a working microwave oven, if the door is open, can cause cancer. Let's check if this is true.

Rumors regarding microwave ovens (as microwave ovens are officially called) are divided into several types. More than once or twice you may have heard that microwaved food is carcinogenic. Let us hasten to dispel this rumor: on the contrary, American scientists have found that thanks to microwave ovens, the incidence of stomach cancer in America has decreased.

This is because no oil is added to the food during this type of cooking, and the cooking method resembles the most harmless one - steaming. Another rumor is that harmful radiation spreads even from a recently turned off furnace. This opinion also has no serious basis. And here is the answer to the question “Can a microwave oven operating with the door open harm us?” at first glance it is not so clear. After all, we usually try to avoid such a situation.

That's what installed in 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO):

The design of microwave ovens ensures that the microwaves are contained within the oven and can only be emitted when the oven is on and the door is closed. Leakage through a glass door is limited by design to levels well below the threshold recommended by international standards.

Microwave energy can be absorbed by the body and generate heat in exposed tissue. Organs with poor blood supply and temperature control (such as the eyes) or that are sensitive to temperature (such as the testicles) have a higher risk of heat damage. However, thermal damage can only occur with prolonged exposure to very high power levels, significantly higher than those found in microwave ovens.

American scientist Gary Zeman I agree with WHO and advises not to compare, for example, X-ray machines and microwave ovens. According to him, in the worst case, leaving the microwave oven door open can burn your skin, and he has not heard of any such incident.

The only thing is that implanted pacemakers can be sensitive to the intensity of the microwave flux. Therefore, WHO recommended that people with pacemakers avoid microwave ovens.

However, microwaves also have beneficial properties. There are research, showing that they reduce the level of activity of HIV, bird flu and hepatitis C. But with coronavirus, everything is not so simple - there is no reliable data yet. But in any case, this property clearly should not be used independently without consulting a doctor.