Are Microwaves Safe?

Microwaves are the same radio waves used in communications. The microwaves of virtually all commercially available microwave ovens are on the 2.4Ghz frequency. That’s the same frequency of the wifi you use to access the internet. 

There is no risk of microwaves directly causing disease, because they are NOT ionizing (unlike x-rays, which are). However, microwaves can heat up water, they are actually really good at that. Since food such as milk, potatoes, green beans, meat and so on, contain water, microwaves can heat them, which is exactly why they are used for fast cooking. A substantial amount of power is required to do that however, around 100 Watts of microwave power per pound of food. 

All microwaves have to be tested and certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FCC regulations dictate that at most 5 milli-Watts of microwave power must be measurable on the outside surface of a microwave. This means that even if you directly touch your microwave, you absorb at most 0.05% of the microwave warming power needed to actually warm up your hand.

The most powerful source of microwaves in everyday life are actually mobile phones. They can emit microwaves with a power density of up to 0.5 Watts per pound, 100 times more powerful than if you directly touch your microwave. The second most powerful source of microwaves are wifi signals, including from baby monitors. Those microwaves can be around 10 times more powerful than if you directly touch a microwave oven.

In summary. Microwaves are very safe, much safer than boiling water, hot steam, or a frying pan, all of which can scald, or even cause fire. Like all warming methods (including conventional bottle warmers), microwaves warm unevenly, causing hotspots. This denatures certain valuable nutrients, lowering the nutritional value of breast milk or formula.