Does microwave oven cause cancer? – a screen

It is not correct to use microwave cause cancer, as states a video clip on social networks. According to experts consulted by Reuters Fact Check, the radiation it emits is only used to heat food. Devices sold in Brazil are certified by Inmetro (National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology), which requires security systems.

It is the most carcinogenic organ on the planet, because it moves food particles, and has violent radiation. Microwave energy passes through a structure called a magnetron, which converts electrical energy into electromagnetic energy. It is a highly carcinogenic substance, says a man in the video examined.

As of the last 9 days, the post has accumulated more than 1,300 likes and 853 shares on Facebook.

In fact, the electromagnetic waves emitted by microwaves are so small — hence the name “microwaves” — that they are unable to alter the chemical composition of food. This energy is also called non-ionizing (https://eulas.usp.br/portal/video?idItem=22134) that it (https://bit.ly/45VYZiv).

“Unlike ionizing radiation such as ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays, microwaves cause heating only through the vibration of water molecules in food and do not produce any change that may cause cancer,” explained physicist Claudio Hiroyuki Furukawa, from the Demonstration Laboratory. from the University of the South Pacific Institute of Physics (University of Sao Paulo) (https://ibb.co/ftNrDWD).

According to Sharbel Widener Maloof, a researcher in the Department of Genetics at the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), there are no studies proving any damage to human DNA from radiation emitted by microwaves.

“It is a wavelength that does not penetrate like ionizing radiation. There are studies trying to show its effects, but they only try because its effect is much less than that of ionizing radiation,” he said.

Inmetro requires a system capable of blocking the flow of waves if the door of the machine is opened or damaged (http://www.inmetro.gov.br/legislacao/rtac/pdf/RTAC001705.pdf).

Body-certified ovens are covered with a glass door covered with a metal screen that allows visible light to pass through, but does not allow waves to pass through.

The ABNT NBR NM IEC 60335-2-25 standard, created by the Brazilian Electricity Commission, states that microwaves do not emit radiation greater than five thousand watts per square centimeter at a distance of five centimeters from their surface, a value considered safe for home use (https://www.normas.com.br/visualizar/abnt-nbr-nm/24972/nbrnm-iec60335-2-25-seguranca-de-aparelhos-eletrodomesticos-e-similares-parte-2-25-requisites- Special for microwave ovens).

If you expose someone directly to the microwave, you will heat the person and they will burn themselves in the same way that chicken is cooked there. Therefore, there are certificates that guarantee that these waves will not leak,” said Bruno Carcivi, professor of food engineering at UFSC.

magnetron

It is true that the device waves are produced in a valve called a magnetron, but it is nothing more than a generator (https://sites.ifi.unicamp.br/mbonanca/files/2019/11/tema11L.pdf).

There is no problem with that. The waves in it are always generated in a controlled manner, with properties guaranteed by the manufacturer.

According to Decree No. 268/2021, which updated the Technical Quality Regulation for Microwave Ovens, all appliances produced in Brazil must be subjected to a conformity assessment (http://www.inmetro.gov.br/legislacao/rtac/pdf/RTAC002782.pdf).

Plastic packaging should not be heated

The researchers’ only caveat concerns the use of plastic containers in the microwave. Some contain solvents and carcinogenic particles that are released when heated anywhere, not just in a microwave.

“Just as we shouldn’t put extremely hot food in unsuitable plastic, which can release toxic substances when heated, the same principle applies in an oven,” Furukawa explains.

Carciofi recommends microwaving glass, ceramic or plastic containers that are indicated as suitable for the appliance (https://voca.ro/16s9Ic2E3crA).

The plastic must be BPA-free [bisfenol A]. Common plastic freezers cannot enter. The ideal is to heat it in a glass,” Malouf instructs.

Diacetyl

The author of the fake video also says that diacetyl, a substance used to simulate the taste of butter in microwave popcorn, is a carcinogen. Reuters found validating studies that linked high consumption of this substance to the development of diseases, but not necessarily to cancer.

According to research published in 2022 by the Institute of Chemistry of São Carlos at USP, after taking diacetyl for 90 days, molecules associated with Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of rats participating in the study.

In an interview with the Foundation’s newspaper, the institute’s doctoral student and author of the research, Lukas Ximenis, said that “protein changes observed in the rat brain may also be associated with the onset of dementia and cancer” (http://www.saocarlos.usp.br/estudo-da-usp-reforca-que-comer-muita-pipoca-de-micro-ondas-pode-causar-alzheimer/).

In 2008, research in North America linked prolonged inhalation of the substance with the development of bronchiolitis lymphocytes in rats, something that can progress to destructive bronchiolitis (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2669658/) that it (https://asces-unita.edu.br/2008/03/17/pipoca-de-microondas-pode-causar-cancer-de-pulmao/).

to rule

bloomer. It is not true that microwave use causes cancer. The radiation it emits only heats the food.