We don’t know a specific cause for cancer, though we do know that there are many risk factors. As we’ve discussed in class, there are many correlations and third variables that can effect our risk for cancer. “Cancer starts when cells in a part of the body start to grow out of control. Cancer cell growth is different from normal cell growth. Instead of dying, cancer cells continue to grow and form new, abnormal cells”(What Is Cancer?).
Many people are skeptical over microwave ovens and whether or not they cause cancer. I am one of the people who believes it is a possibility but I would like to see more evidence to know the truth behind this theory. Microwaves use radiation to cook the food in which we consume(Microwaves, Radio Waves, and Other Types of Radiofrequency Radiation). I believe that the more we use microwaves, especially in excess, we increase our risk of cancer. When we are putting these radiated foods into our bodies, I think we are raising the chances of abnormal cells to rapidly grow. Our food isn’t meant to be cooked with radiation waves, therefor it’s questionable whether or not microwaves are safe for our bodies. I like to think that they are only unsafe when used excessively, but I feel like more studies need to be done before we can say.
It is important to note the importance in checking that containers being heated in the microwave are labeled microwave safe. If they aren’t, we increase the risk of chemicals from the container, contaminating the food we consume(Cancer). It might not directly be the microwave causing the cancer. It’s important to note that a third variable, such as the container, that could be the cancer causing factor.
Works Cited
1. “Cancer.” Causes: Popular Myths about the Causes of Cancer. Mayo Clinic, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
2. “Microwaves, Radio Waves, and Other Types of Radiofrequency Radiation.” Microwaves, Radio Waves, and Other Types of Radiofrequency Radiation. The American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
3. “What Is Cancer?” What Is Cancer? American Cancer Society, n.d. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.
I believe in this case, the question is are microwaves strong enough to cause cancer? This might be obvious, but my first step in determining this was to find out if microwaves actually radiate microwaves. This website says it all: http://www.fda.gov/radiation-emittingproducts/resourcesforyouradiationemittingproducts/ucm252762.htm
Causation in this case is really hard to identify because we cannot perform actual experiments to see if radiation from microwaves causes cancer. This is because obviously, it is unethical. In this experiment, I believe they measured the health of mice over a year after being exposed to microwaves. Here’s the link if you want to read more: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21716201. They decided that the results do support the hypothesis, but there is always a chance that mice react different to humans.
I also agree that the use of microwaves could increase one’s risk for cancer. Then again, almost everything we do as humans causes cancer. Especially with our age group, we do outrageous things to our body that can be a direct cause of cancer. Most people at the college level don’t sleep enough, misuse alcohol and drugs, eat extremely unhealthy and in large amounts, stay out in the sun for long periods of time and generally don’t take the best care of their body. I understand that is a very general statement and does not apply to every person but at least one of those characteristics have been done by a college age student. Concerning the use of this microwave topic, yes there is a possibility that microwaves could increase the risk of cancer but in a way that is just another item on the long list of already existing things that contribute to one’s risk of cancer.
I definitely agree with what you’re saying, that is in fact the point I was trying to make. I think the more we expose ourselves, the more at risk we are to be exposed to the harmful radiation. I know that standing by an open microwave won’t give me cancer but it’s important to note that I mentioned how we have to be careful about which containers we put our food in to microwave. This is where I believe the chemicals enter our bodies and are carcinogenic. I think this information that you provided is great, and really helps to emphasize my point. There definitely needs to be more research done before we conclude anything.
Megan, I liked your blog but I just wanted to clarify one thing. You wrote, “I like to think that they are only unsafe when used excessively.” My question to you is what counts as “excessive” to you? I couldn’t find any research on how much microwave oven use it would take to get enough radiation to qualify as dangerous. According to cancer.org, “When microwave ovens are used according to instructions, there is no evidence that they pose a health risk to people.” Radiation from the microwaves only happens when the doors are shut. Federal standards ensure that any potential leakage of radiation from microwaves is well below what it would take to do harm to people, the website continues. So the current research consensus is that you aren’t likely to get cancer just from standing near an operating microwave. Another concern might be radiation in the microwave-cooked food. According to Cancer Research UK, “Most experts say that microwave ovens don’t give off enough energy to damage the genetic material (DNA) in cells so they can’t cause cancer. Microwaves heat food, but do not make any changes to it that aren’t made in any other cooking method.” The heating process does cause the food to lose some of its nutrients, but no more than any other heating process. So you’re not going to get cancer from the food itself either. Even using a microwave a few times a day is not going to give you cancer, according to this information. Maybe researchers will find something different later. Right now, I think the conclusion is that there’s not enough evidence that microwave ovens can cause cancer, which I think was your general point.