Microwave Hazards(A long but useful one)
Topic started by Sarah (@ phantom.pr.sun.com) on Thu Dec 13 20:56:31 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
> The following information is received from a reliable source. Please
> circulate this to so many
> people for their precautionary measure.
>
>
> >I feel that the following is information that anyone who uses a
> > microwave oven to heat water should know. My friend decided to
> >have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of water and put it in the
microwave
> >to heat it up (something that he had done numerous times before). I am
> >not sure how long he set the timer for, but he told me he wanted to
bring
> >the water to a boil. When the timer shut the oven off, he removed the
cup
> >from the oven. As he looked into the cup, he noted that the water was
not
> >boiling, but instantly the water in the cup "blew up" into his face.
The
> >cup remained intact until he threw it out of his hand but all the water
> >had flown out into his face due to the build up of energy. His whole
face
> >is blistered and he has 1st and 2nd degree burns to his face, which may
> >leave scarring. He also may have lost partial sight in his left eye.
> >
> >While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that
> >this is a fairly common occurrence and water (alone) should never be
> >heated in a microwave oven. If water is heated in this manner,
something
> >should be placed in the cup to diffuse the energy such as a wooden stir
> >stick, tea bag, etc. It is however a much safer choice to boil the
water
> >in a tea kettle.
> >
> >Please pass this information on to friends and family.
> >
> >General Electric's response:
> >
> >Thanks for contacting us, Mr. Williams. I will be happy to assist you.
> >The e-mail that you received is correct. Micro waved water and other
> >liquids do not always bubble when they reach the boiling point. They
can
> >actually get superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid
> >will bubble up out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a
> >spoon or tea bag is put into it.
> >
> >To prevent this from happening and causing injury, do not heat any
> >liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating, let the cup
> stand >in the microwave for thirty seconds before moving it or adding
> anything
> >into it. >>I hope this helps. Should you need any further assistance,
> please
> >contact us.
> >
> >Here is what our local science teacher had to say on the matter:
> >"Thanks for the microwave warning. I have seen this happen before. It
is
> >caused by a phenomenon known as super heating. It can occur anytime
water
> >is heated and will particularly occur if the vessel that the water is
> >heated in is new, or when heating a small amount of water (less than
half
> a >cup).
> >
> >What happens is that the water heats faster than the vapor bubbles can
> >form? >If the cup is very new then it is unlikely to have small surface
> >scratches inside it that provide a place for the bubbles to form. As
the
> >bubbles cannot form and release some of the heat that has built up, the
> >liquid does not boil, and the liquid continues to heat up well past its
> >boiling point.
> >
> >What then usually happens is that the liquid is bumped or jarred, which
> >is just enough of a shock to cause the bubbles to rapidly form and
expel
> >the hot liquid. The rapid formation of bubbles is also why a carbonated
> >beverage spews when opened after having been shaken."
> >If you pass this on ... you could very well save someone from a lot of
> >pain and suffering.
Responses:
- Old responses
- From: sarah (@ phantom.pr.sun.com)
on: Thu Nov 7 22:50:22
Some more useful info
>
> >
> > microwave story!
> >
> > Pl take note of plastic in microwave
> >
> > =====================
> >
> >
> > Subject: Fwd: plastic
> >
> > Some useful info :
> >
> > On Channel 2 this morning, they had a Dr. Edward Fujimoto from Castle
> > Hospital on the program. He is the manager of the Wellness Program at
the
> > hospital. He was talking about dioxins, and how bad they are for us. He
> > said
> >
> > that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic
> > containers. This applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the
> > combination of fat, high heat and plastics, releases dioxins into the
food
> > and ultimately into the cells of the body.
> >
> > Dioxins are carcinogens (cancer causing agents), and highly toxic to the
> > cells of our bodies.
> >
> > Instead, he recommends that we should be using glass, Corning Ware, or
> > ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results without
the
> > dioxins.
> >
> > So such things as TV dinners, instant saimin and soups, etc. should be
> > removed from the container, and heated in something else. Paper isn't
bad,
> > but you don't know what is in the paper. It is just safer to use
tempered
> > glass, Corning Ware, etc.
> >
> > He said we might remember when some of the fast food restaurants moved
> > away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of
the
> > reasons.
> >
> > To add to this: Saran (plastic) wrap, placed over foods as they are
nuked,
> > with the high heat, actually drips poisonous toxins into the food.
> > Instead, you should use a paper towel .
> >
> >
> >
- From: Hemant (@ 12-233-223-112.client.attbi.com)
on: Thu Nov 7 22:56:46
Good Job Sarah.
Thanks for the info.
I hope people would avoid using micro along with atleast plastic containers.
Another long term concern of mine is using micro to heat baby feeding bottles (water).
I understand that cynogens (or something like that) which are carcinogenic chemicals , are released.
- From: S.Kalpana (@ ppp-219.65.109.188.chn.vsnl.net.in)
on: Wed Dec 4 06:42:30
hi
Ijust went through all the mails in the column and it happens to be very useful. I an actually considering to buy a new microwave and the articles here actually confuses me a lot. Is is really not harmful cooking in a microwave and what is the advantage of using a microwave and what is the disadvantage of using it? Apart from easy and fast cooking what other advantage does it offer to the housewife. How about the radiation emitted by microwaves and how harmful are they?
- From: padma (@ dsc01-mil-fl-5-49.rasserver.net)
on: Wed Aug 20 18:59:46
Microwaved water blowing up in your face is NOT A URBAN LEGEND nor is it mumbo jumbo. It happened to me once when I heated 3/4 cup of water and mistakenly set the timer for 3 mins.
It is tragic to see some people believe all these conveniences are safe. Every coin has two sides no matter how thin it is.
FDA is controlled to a large extent by the lobbyists from these industries.
- From: pradheep (@ mail.cert-id.com)
on: Tue Nov 4 13:03:59
For those who take it for granted that micorwaving is not harmful
Cooking by microwave is the worst way to preserve a key nutrient in vegetables, while steaming is the best, according to a Spanish study reported in next Saturday's New Scientist 25th october 2003.
Researchers from the national scientific research council measured antioxidants, a compound believed to protect cells from damaging reactive chemicals called free radicals, in broccoli that had been either steamed, pressure-cooked, boiled or microwaved.
Steaming the veggies left the antioxidants almost untouched, but microwaving virtually eliminated them, probably because this heated the broccoli from inside and generated too high a temperature.
The other cooking methods performed somewhere between the two.
They did not destroy as many antioxidants as microwaving, but lots of the precious compounds leached out into the water during cooking, leaving less than half of the original amount of antioxidants in the vegetable.
In another study also reported in New Scientist, experts at VTT Technology in Espoo, Finland found that blanching vegetables before freezing them slashed levels of antioxidants by as much as a third.
Blanching vegetables - briefly scalding them with boiling water -is commonly used by frozen food companies to inactivate enzymes that could affect flavour.
The two studies are published in full in a specialist review, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
Free radicals have been fingered as a possible culprit for cancer and other degenerative diseases, inflicting changes in a cell's DNA that are then replicated when the cell divides.
- From: Golmar (@ )
on: Mon Apr 12 02:02:38
Is microwave harmful or useful?
- From: Ivete (@ pr2-ts.telepac.pt)
on: Tue Apr 13 07:04:59 EDT 2004
Dear Hubbers,
I have another question: I don't heat up food in the microwave in plastic containers but I use a plastic top to avoid the spilling of food. It doesn't touch the food it just covers the plate. Is that safe? I ask that because sometimes it ''sweats'' and drops a little bit on the food. What about those drops are they harmful? My question may sound silly but I'd like to know anyway...
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