I have heaard that there have been revised assessments to the effect
that the danger of oven radiation - or whatever it is - is greater than
previously believed.

1. Does a grounding screen in the window of the device offer sufficient
protection?

2. Are newer ovens safer than earlier ones (I have a Sharp Carousel II
about 15 years old).

3. Is it true that one should not leave the door open after using the oven.

4. Are there good web sites for information?

Many thanks in advance for your help.

Dwight wrote:
> I have heaard that there have been revised assessments to the effect
> that the danger of oven radiation - or whatever it is - is greater
> than previously believed.

Microwave radiation, in general, is fatal. We've known this for years.

> 1. Does a grounding screen in the window of the device offer
> sufficient protection?

Are you able to stand in front of a microwave oven without exploding?

> 2. Are newer ovens safer than earlier ones (I have a Sharp Carousel
> II about 15 years old).

Probably, but only because I hear secondhand that some older models had
flaky safety mechanisms. Fifteen years should be safe though.

> 3. Is it true that one should not leave the door open after using the
> oven.

Doesn't matter in terms of safety. The light bulb will wear out faster
the more you use it though.

> 4. Are there good web sites for information?

Go to a college bookstore and pick up a physics textbook.

--
John Gaughan
http://www.johngaughan.net/

Dwight > wrote in message >...
> I have heaard that there have been revised assessments to the effect
> that the danger of oven radiation - or whatever it is - is greater than
> previously believed.
>
> 1. Does a grounding screen in the window of the device offer sufficient
> protection?
>
> 2. Are newer ovens safer than earlier ones (I have a Sharp Carousel II
> about 15 years old).
>
> 3. Is it true that one should not leave the door open after using the oven.
>
> 4. Are there good web sites for information?
>
> Many thanks in advance for your help.

Go here for information from the FDA:

http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/microwave.html

This should answer all your questions

While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking, Tashi_Aunt of
http://groups.google.com said:

>Go here for information from the FDA:
>
>http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/microwave.html
>
>This should answer all your questions

Thank you. That was very interesting and helpful.
--
Nikitta a.a. #1759 Apatriot(No, not apricot)#18
ICQ# 251532856
Unreferenced footnotes: http://www.nut.house.cx/cgi-bin/nemwiki.pl?ISFN
"You can tell if someone is a doctor. Their handwriting is very messy and
illegible and they know stuff. Medical stuff." John Coxon (afdaiain)

In article >, Dwight
> wrote:

> I have heaard that there have been revised assessments to the effect
> that the danger of oven radiation - or whatever it is - is greater than
> previously believed.


[snip]


> 4. Are there good web sites for information?


I've found the links at the bottom of this site to be helpful:

http://home.howstuffworks.com/microwave.htm

I don't remember if they talk about safety, but they cover a lot of ground.

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS

Dwight > wrote:
> I have heaard that there have been revised assessments to the effect
> that the danger of oven radiation - or whatever it is - is greater than
> previously believed.

Where did you hear this? I suspect its just another urban legend.
Can you provide any cites?

> 1. Does a grounding screen in the window of the device offer sufficient
> protection?

I have no idea. Contact the manufacturer of your microwave oven if
you're really curious about this question. I don't even know what
a "grounding screen" is.

> 2. Are newer ovens safer than earlier ones (I have a Sharp Carousel II
> about 15 years old).

Probably, but I doubt the old microwave ovens are dangerous either.

> 3. Is it true that one should not leave the door open after using the oven.

I never heard that. How do you get the food out if you can't open the door?
I don't leave my microwave oven's door open if I am not putting food into the
microwave oven or removing it simply because I do not want to wear out the light
bulb that's in there unnecessarily.

> 4. Are there good web sites for information?

Beats me. Try doing a Google search for "microwave oven safety" or some
such similar term.

wrote:
> I don't even know what
> a "grounding screen" is.

I think it is that mesh that goes inside the glass. Microwaves pass
right through glass, but you need to be able to see in. But I could be
wrong, this is just an educated guess.

--
John Gaughan
http://www.johngaughan.net/

Hi,

> I have heaard that there have been revised assessments to the effect
> that the danger of oven radiation - or whatever it is - is greater than
> previously believed.

Who says so? It is high dose rates you should look out for and these are
not to be found around microwave ovens. If you are worried, don't stand in
front of it.

> 1. Does a grounding screen in the window of the device offer sufficient
> protection?

Yes it does! Radiation of the wavelength used (~12cm) cannot pass through
a screen with such small holes. Problems can arise round the edges of the
door though. These usually have a radiation trap called a 'choke' and a seal
containing material that absorbs radiation. If you want to waste money, there
are detectors on the market which can give you some estimate of the leakage
there. As a routine it does no harm to gently wipe the area to prevent a
build-up of detritus.

> 2. Are newer ovens safer than earlier ones (I have a Sharp Carousel II
> about 15 years old).

Don't know but expect not, though probably the interlocks are better. Why
not use this as a perfectly good excuse to buy yourself a nice new machine.

> 3. Is it true that one should not leave the door open after using the oven.

Only if you don't want the cat to crawl in there.

Don't listen to these urban myths/radiation scare stories. Remember the
papers have to print something and the lawyers and 'experts' make their
living that way. I've spent all my working life in radar, communications and
medical X-rays, and all I've ever suffered from is a bad back, and a sagging
midriff, and some hair loss, and my eyesight isn't what it used to be, and I
no longer have a full set of teeth. But I'm alright really :-)


Cheers - Joe

Go to:

how things work.com

for info on Microwaves and many other things. Great Website.

While frolicking around in rec.food.cooking, Nancree of AOL
http://www.aol.com said:

>how things work.com
>
>for info on Microwaves and many other things. Great Website.

I typed it in, but it send me to http://www.howstuffworks.com/. It
seems to be the site you meant, though. Thank you very much!
--
Nikitta a.a. #1759 Apatriot(No, not apricot)#18
ICQ# 251532856
Unreferenced footnotes: http://www.nut.house.cx/cgi-bin/nemwiki.pl?ISFN
"You can tell if someone is a doctor. Their handwriting is very messy and
illegible and they know stuff. Medical stuff." John Coxon (afdaiain)

Dwight saw Sally selling seashells by the seashore and told us all
about it on Thu, 15 Jan 2004 23:58:52 GMT:

>I have heaard that there have been revised assessments to the effect
>that the danger of oven radiation - or whatever it is - is greater than
>previously believed.
>
>1. Does a grounding screen in the window of the device offer sufficient
>protection?
>
>2. Are newer ovens safer than earlier ones (I have a Sharp Carousel II
>about 15 years old).
>
>3. Is it true that one should not leave the door open after using the oven.

I can think of one reason to not leave the microwave door open - if
the door seal is damaged or the door is warped then the microwave
might not be safe. If the door is closed nobody's going to lean on it
or pull on it...