Microwaves are safe if used properly

A video that has been shared on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook falsely claims that using a microwave is bad for your health. 

A man in the video says: ‘‘If you want to die, keep on using this… a microwave.’’ 

He then simulates “an experiment that you can do at home”. This involves watering two plants, one with water that has been microwaved, the other with water that hasn’t. The man claims that the plant receiving the microwaved water will “start to die within three to four days”.

The man goes on to say “[The microwave] is killing people, because it pulls everything out of the food. So it’s blank food most of you guys are eating. And all this wave is getting inside of your body and damaging all your cells.”

These claims are not true. While there are inherent risks with all electrical appliances, microwaves are safe when used correctly. We could not find any evidence that cooking food with a microwave makes it less nutritious, as we have said before.

Bad information can mislead people and affect decisions they make about their health.

What are microwaves?

Microwaves ovens work by making fat and water molecules in food vibrate, which generates heat and results in cooking. They do this with non-ionising radiation, which does not change the structure of atoms.

The ovens themselves are designed to generate microwave energy only when they are switched on and the door is closed, with seals to prevent leakage.

Food that is cooked in a microwave has the same nutritional status as food cooked using conventional ovens, meaning it is not less healthy, let alone poisonous.

The electrical safety charity Electrical Safety First says: “Domestic microwaves have been used since the mid 1950’s. Since that time there has been no credible evidence to suggest they are in any way harmful to human health in normal use.

The risk of injury from microwave radiation is effectively non-existent. The main danger a microwave poses is fire resulting from misuse or malfunction.”

The Food and Drug Administration in the US says that most injuries from microwaves are heat related rather than due to radiation. Although rare, radiation injuries can occur if there are leaks in seals due to poor servicing or other unusual circumstances. A study looking at microwave oven related injuries presenting to hospitals in the US over a 21 year period found that the most common injuries were related to spills and mostly affected the hands and fingers.

Microwave radiation has not been shown to cause cancer and does not damage DNA. The US National Cancer Institute says there is no known process by which exposure to non-ionising radiation could cause cancer.