Microwaves dangerous, anyone not have one?

[shael]

So I know people will reply to this thread and say they are perfectly safe etc etc

However, we have a 10 year old Bosch one that has been playing up for a couple of years but it's mainly just the display. We got out BG today and the man tested it and said you cannot use it any more it's dangerous.

The reading he got was 9.0. Apparently anything over 5 is bad.

Interestingly, we also had a freestanding one in our utility that is hardly used. That also had a dangerous reading.

The man said that after after 4 or 5 years they can start leaking microwaves.

The thing is, if you look up the possible effects of microwave radiation even from a low level consumer appliance it's not pleasant.

I'm shocked that there is no requirement to have these things tested. There must be millions of people out there who have dangerous microwave ovens. I know so many people with cancer and I feel stupid for not getting it checked sooner especially as we have young kids around.

I'm seriously tempted to not replace it.
Does anyone already do this?

Yep, sadly it was before I lost the ability to keep my thoughts to myself!

It’s so depressing isn’t it?

The inside will rust if you cook and moisture builds up then the door is left shut after items are removed, i always wipe out and leave the door ajar just as I do with washing machine. Common sense really.

I just am completely confused.
The British Gas man said they are issued with microwave testers every year. He said if it detects more than 5, the microwave is dangerous.

Is this just total lies then?

Just out of interest, why did you call someone out to look at a 10 year old microwave that has had a fault for 2 years?

Umm my microwave is over 30 years old.... I think it might be a 1980s one.

Op. 20 years ago I had British Gas out to service my boiler - they condemned it there and then. As it wasn’t old, I got another gas man/plumber out. The boiler was fine, just needed a service and a new part, but apparently BG had form for doing this, so you would panic and buy a service plan and a new boiler from them.

Why would you call British Gas out to look at an electrical appliance?
Would it not have been more expensive to have British Gas to come along with their "Woo" meter than just to have gone down to argos and buy a replacement?

Oh just googled the cost of the callout. £99 to look at your microwave and then £2 per month cover! Someone saw you coming Op.

That’s what I’m confused about! It would never occur to me to call British Gas out to look at an electrical appliance. Is it a service they offer?!

I use my microwave every day to heat up my porridge. I have done for at least 20 years. No adverse effects to date!

The BG man is talking out of his arse.

You called out British GAS to look at your ELECTRIC microwave? Hmm 🤔.

we use ours a lot.
it's a lot more energy efficient than using the oven.

I know you shouldn't use it if it's showing signs of rust.
or stand close to a running one.
and people wearing electronic medical devices (pacemaker, insulin pump) shouldn't be near one at all.

Agreed. Must give mine a clean tomorrow. 😃 Been meaning to for the last week and procrastinating.

BG are on to a good thing here, over 100 quid to waft a sensor thing in front of it as a microwave is hardly something you would mend.

It's on a appliance insurance policy with BG. Look it up! You can even have a washing machine covered! And not a gas powered one!!

See this is the thing...
You say are just wafting a "sensor thing" like they are just scamming people with some made up woo woo machine.

Now that is possible, but really?
Or they are actually testing for microwave radiation. He told me that a new microwave oven would normally test at around 1.0 and anything over 5 is bad news.

I dunno. Maybe it's a woo woo machine

Those people aren’t allowed in my kitchen, I have a galley kitchen with an induction hob on one side and a microwave directly opposite so it’s like a pacemaker booby trap!

@ReadyToMoveIt

"Just out of interest, why did you call someone out to look at a 10 year old microwave that has had a fault for 2 years? "

We have had all appliances on insurance policies for ages. Only just got round to actually making a booking for them to look at it.

We didn't pay £99 for them to come out.

You could argue that appliance cover is a waste of money and there might be some truth in that

We've not had one for years but that's because DH refused to use it (snob) and he would prefer bench space for prepping.

I've not had one since I moved out of uni accommodation! I have never wished for one.

A level above 5 is not going to harm you. One of the links I posted to earlier mentions a case of a microwave that malfunctioned so it was able to to be on while the door was open and it took 2 minutes of someone’s hand being actually directly in it before it got burnt.

Here’s some more info about the 5 figure: A Federal standard (21 CFR 1030.10) limits the amount of microwaves that can leak from an oven throughout its lifetime to 5 milliwatts (mW) of microwave radiation per square centimeter at approximately 2 inches from the oven surface. This limit is far below the level known to harm people. Microwave energy also decreases dramatically as you move away from the source of radiation. A measurement made 20 inches from an oven would be approximately 1/100th of the value measured at 2 inches from the oven. www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/resources-you-radiation-emitting-products/microwave-oven-radiation

I don’t have one and have never owned one since leaving home for uni.

I read at the time there were health concerns and that it negatively impacts the structure of the food, so avoided getting one initially and now wouldn’t even occur to me to get one, even though I admit it’d sometimes be useful, I wouldn’t use it.

My 1st microwave lasted 30 years, then died. Now I'm using one DH bought for MiL but she was too decrepit to use it. My dad has one that dates back to the early 1980s that still works fine.

As I'm married to an electronics expert with scientist DDs, I'm intrigued as to what the BG man was measuring. A reading of more than 5 what is dangerous? Watts, Hertz, Whizzos? Sounds like a load of baloney to me.

One of my cousins has a thing about microwaves. She bangs on about how bad they are for you blah blah. DH and the DDs replied as a PP did here, talking about the electro-magnetic spectrum and the wavelength of the microwaves. I keep mine clean and aired out. My aunt, mother of fruit-loop cousin, spouts the same tosh but is not averse to using her microwave for emergency defrosting when it suits.

I haven't had one for over 10 years. Don't miss it and I'm not sure what I'd use it for now.