Does a microwave give off radiation?

Answer 1

All microwaves (the appliances) give off a small amount of radiation when they are

operating normally. This is due to tiny amounts of leakage, primarily at the door seal.

This tiny amount of radiation is generally harmless, and as long as the microwave oven

is not "thrashed" and is kept in good repair, it will perform normally and leak only the

slightest amount of energy.

If any consumer is concerned with microwave radiation doing anything negative, that

individual would benefit more from giving up his/her cellular phone than from giving up

the microwave oven. It's that simple.

Microwave ovens use high power electromagnetic radiation (radio) at a frequency

close to 2.5 GHz to do the job of cooking.

Much of the design of the appliance goes into making sure that very little of that

radiation is "given off", and that it stays inside the cooking chamber where it belongs.

The reason for that is not so much any concern that the meatloaf might take longer

to cook if some of the radiation is lost. The concern is that radio RF energy at 2.5 GHz

and at that power level is potentially dangerous.

Here's a little factoid to consider:

Power generated by a microwave radio transmitter

and used to transmit high-speed data from a large

dish antenna to another radio tower 20 miles away . . . . . 1/8 watt to 2 watts

Power generated by the cavity magnetron in a

microwave oven and used to heat the meatloaf . . . . . . 600 watts to 1,200 watts