Is it actually dangerous to use microwave oven?

Claim;
“MICROWAVE COOKING is Killing You! Microwave cooking is one of the most important causes of ill health. It is certainly one of the most ignored. Microwave cooking significantly changes food nutrients. After eating micro waved food, hemoglobin levels decreased. These results show anemic tendencies.Ordinary cooking also causes the formation of some radiolytic compounds (which is no doubt one reason why it is better to eat plenty of raw food), but microwaving cooking causes a much greater number. This then causes deterioration in your blood and immune system.

In Summary: Eating micro waved food:

• Increases cholesterol
• Increases white blood cell numbers
• Decreases red blood cell numbers
• Causes production of radiolytic compounds (compounds unknown in nature)”

The microwave oven is a versatile, time saving kitchen appliance that uses microwave radiation to heat food. Food cooked in the microwave is as nutritious as food cooked in other ways, and research suggests that microwave cooking retains more vitamins, minerals and nutrients than boiling.

Microwave ovens can play an important role at mealtime, but special care must be taken when cooking or reheating meat, poultry, fish, and eggs to make sure they are prepared safely. However, the microwave oven can be dangerous if it is not used correctly. Microwave ovens can cook unevenly and leave "cold spots," where harmful bacteria can survive. A microwave oven should not be used to sterilize jars or bottles, including babies’ bottles. For this reason, it is important to use the safe microwaving tips to prevent food borne illness.

What is Microwave Radiation?
Microwaves are a form of "electromagnetic" radiation; that is, they are waves of electrical and magnetic energy moving together through space. Electromagnetic radiation ranges from the energetic x-rays to the less energetic radio frequency waves used in broadcasting. Microwaves fall into the radio frequency band of electromagnetic radiation. Microwaves should not be confused with x-rays, which are more powerful.
Microwaves have three characteristics that allow them to be used in cooking: they are reflected by metal; they pass through glass, paper, plastic, and similar materials; and they are absorbed by foods.

Microwave Ovens and Health
Much research is under way on microwaves and how they might affect the human body. It is known that microwave radiation can heat body tissue the same way it heats food. Exposure to high levels of microwaves can cause a painful burn. The lens of the eye is particularly sensitive to intense heat, and exposure to high levels of microwaves can cause cataracts. Likewise, the testes are very sensitive to changes in temperature. Accidental exposure to high levels of microwave energy can alter or kill sperm, producing temporary sterility. But these types of injuries - burns, cataracts, temporary sterility - can only be caused by exposure to large amounts of microwave radiation, much more than the 5mW limit for microwave oven leakage.

Less is known about what happens to people exposed to low levels of microwaves. Controlled, long-term studies involving large numbers of people have not been conducted to assess the impact of low level microwave energy on humans. Much research has been done with experimental animals, but it is difficult to translate the effects of microwaves on animals to possible effects on humans. For one thing, there are differences in the way animals and humans absorb microwaves. For another, experimental conditions can't exactly simulate the conditions under which people use microwave ovens. However, these studies do help us better understand the possible effects of radiation.

Advantages of the microwave oven

Some advantages of using the microwave oven include:

• It is faster than conventional methods of cooking.
• Conventional methods of cooking use energy to heat oil, water or air - microwave ovens only heat the food, so you can save on your energy bills.
• Nutrients are retained in the food.
• Protein foods don’t brown when cooked in a microwave. This reduced oxidation means that nutrients like vitamin A and E are less likely to be destroyed.
• Food heated quickly in a microwave retains more nutrients than foods kept hot for a long time, such as those simmered on a stove.
• Potentially dangerous micro-organisms in food tend to thrive in temperatures between 5°C and 60°C. When you use a microwave oven, food can be thawed, cooked and served quickly. So it spends less time in the dangerous temperature zone.

Common misconceptions
There are many misconceptions about microwave ovens, including:

• Microwave energy changes the chemical composition of food - not true. The only changes experienced are those caused by fast cooking. There is no evidence of poisonous or dangerous compounds created by microwave energy.
• Eating food cooked in the microwave exposes you to radiation - not true. As soon as the oven is switched off, there are no longer any microwaves in the oven or the food.
• Microwave energy is radioactive - not true. Microwave energy can’t make the oven, food or anything else radioactive. Extensive research has provided no conclusive evidence that microwave exposure, at any level, either causes or promotes cancer.

References
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/microwave.html#2
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/BHCV2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/
Microwave_ovens_safety_issues?OpenDocument

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