My microwave oven is almost 10 years old. I didn't notice a change in the way it works, but I am still concerned whether there is a "radiation leak" after so many years in operation. Any expert advice will be appreciated.
thanks
I wouldn't worry about it. Even a microwave oven with a damaged seal is unlikely to cause health problems. Don't fall into the trap of believing urban myths about 'radiation', which people associate with radioactive particles and mutation :-) There's no link that I'm aware of with microwave ovens and cancers etc.
Microwave oven energy is just a very strong radio wave. It could in theory cause health problems and cataracts, but I've yet to hear of a single case of serious health problems from consumer microwave oven 'leaks'. If you aren't confident, take it to someone who can test it for leaks or look out for a microwave oven leakage tester, I know Radio Shack/Tandy used to sell them years ago before they realised they were pointless. However, I really wouldn't worry about it. The fact is that the microwave oven is mature technology, is considered a very safe appliance and microwave oven leakage detectors never took off because worries about leakage hazards are largely scaremongering and urban myth.
Incidentally, probably the worst thing that would happen if your microwave oven leaked would be interference on nearby radios, TVs and cordless phones!
Dave
Take a look here, it should answer your question.
Hi!
There's nothing to be concerned about unless the oven has been physically damaged (e.g. "dropped") in that time. Microwave ovens are very reliable and age generally does not affect their safety. (Unless of course the oven has been abused over time.)
William
"Dave D" bravely wrote to "All" (06 Feb 06 16:51:19) --- on the heady topic of "Re: Microwave oven safe after 10 years?"
DD> From: "Dave D" DD> Xref: core-easynews sci.electronics.repair:357655
DD> I wouldn't worry about it. Even a microwave oven with a damaged seal DD> is unlikely to cause health problems.
Microwaves are good for us! We even get them for free from space!
Okay, unlikely to cause a health problem in the immediate but what about 10 years on? So if it doesn't hurt you today should we then consider it 100% safe? How are you going to link a cancer with that early exposure you forgot all about? No way, right?!
A*s*i*m*o*v
... High Voltage Electronics: Life's a glitch, then you fry.
The only thing likely to cause leaks would be if the door isn't closing properly. This isn't likely to be a problem unless it has been dropped, or improperly repaired.
My microwave is 29 years old! Andy Cuffe
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"William R. Walsh" wrote in news:TJMFf.780281$xm3.289100@attbi_s21:
I think there's an inverse relationship between age and reliability of mircowaves. The older the microwave, the more likely it is to still work.
Puckdropper
-- www.uncreativelabs.net Old computers are getting to be a lost art. Here at Uncreative Labs, we still enjoy using the old computers. Sometimes we want to see how far a particular system can go, other times we use a stock system to remind ourselves of what we once had. To email me directly, send a message to puckdropper (at) fastmail.fm
My point is that scientists seem happy that microwave ovens do not pose a health risk, and there are no recorded cases that I'm aware of where microwave oven radiation has been demonstrated to have caused direct injury or cancers to the operator. tests have been done on animals with MW radiation, and no link has yet been established with cancer.
We either accept that, or we don't. The person more inclined to take the latter stance is going to end up doing a lot of unnecessary worrying. A small nick in a door seal is not likely IMO to release sufficient radiation to cause problems, especially taking into account the inverse square law. If a damaged seal really was a major health risk then I think there'd be a lot of publicity featuring dire public warnings to check the seal integrity every so often, and an abundance of cheap detectors, or perhaps even detectors bundled free with the ovens.
The fact is, no-one is getting their knickers in a twist about microwave oven radiation. Maybe in 20 years time a link will be proved with cancers and there'll be a huge overhaul in MW oven safety, but until then, I personally am content that they are safe.
Dave
Hi!
You might be right! I've got a 1985 model Kenmore (made by Sanyo) in the kitchen that still works like new. The only thing I've ever had to replace is the light bulb...not because it burned out, but because the glue holding it into the socket came undone and then the little wires linking base and socket broke.
Down in the basement I've got a 1986 model GE oven that was collected for free because its owner complained of "slow heating". Cleaning the dust out of the air inlet helped...it seemed the magnetron was overheating and cutting out. I also put a light bulb in this one. It still works like a champ.
My grandmother has a "downright classic" Litton-made oven that seemingly predates digital timers. It has only ever required a few lamps and periodic lubrication of the fan motor.
Meanwhile I've got at least two Sharp ovens...both maybe 3 years old. One is dead to the world (haven't looked at it yet, but it is probably something simple) and the other will not acknowledge its START button. (Instant cook modes will start and run for however long is specified, but nothing (not even jumpering the contacts on the circuit board that represent the start button) will make it start when START is 'pressed'. I suppose this may be more difficult to work out and I'm not sure it is worth it.
I don't subscribe to S.E.R on the majority of my IBM PS/2 systems, but I have a great number of them still out and running today. For a while I had a PS/2 Model 65SX running as a web server!
William
My family had one of those growing up, it was huge! If I remember right it was 1200W and could nuke a hotdog in under 10 seconds. It never did fail, but by the time it was around 15 years old it was getting a bit cosmetically tattered and it was given away after a kitchen remodel.
I actually wouldn't mind having an old Amana Radarrange, those are cool, my aunt has one of the very first sold with a digital timer, it has a stainless cavity.
As long as it wasn't dropped, smashed, sawed, or drilled and the door interlock is working properly (that is, oven doesn't run when door open even slightly), it's safe because the door uses a choke seal, which is very tolerant of misalignment, gaps, and even dirt. Amana once demonstrated just how tolerant in a commercial where they hit the door with a shot put on a pendulum and then chopped into the door opening with an axe, and the leakage remained below federal limits. It's much older microwave ovens, made before about 1975, that can become hazardous with age because many have door seals made of metal braid or metal fins that can deteriorate badly with use.
My parents have an old Litton from '79 or '80, I think. It has a glass panel touchpad, a wire tray so you could have 2 levels, and a temperature sensor. The power transformer was replaced when relatively new, and I've replaced one of the door interlock switches a few times (they gum up), but as far as I know, it's still working.
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Hell with that, I used to have one with the mechanical timer that I bought used around '85. Instead of having to press 7-10 button to turn it on, you'd just give the knob a quick twist, each twist being good for about 3-4 minuts on the dial. A separate wheel bumped the time by increments of 10 minutes. The variable power setting was handled by a separate knob and could be adjusted at any time.
That microwave got retired after having put into storage without being cleaned first. When it was taken out of storage, the food grime had turned into a frightening new life form growing all over the interior walls.
I placed a fruit fly inside a glass container in a 700W M/W oven After 1 minute the insect was still a live After 2 minutes it had lost 1 wing After 3 minutes was death.
What does this prove? A cooked insect can't fly ?
Some people believe that small objects are not affected by the waves if they are small relative to the wave length. You probably need more that a quarter of the wave in order to create standing waves or something like that.
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