Cancer Update from John Hopkins Options

[T- RAV]

Cancer Update from John Hopkins

This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as
well. Please circulate to all you know
No plastic containers in micro
No water bottles in freezer.
No plastic wrap in microwave...
A dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.

Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your
plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the
plastic.

Recently,. Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital ,
was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked 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 especially applies to foods that contain fat.

He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin
into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body...

Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic
containers for heating food... You get the same results, only without the
dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen 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's just safer to
use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.

He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away
from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the
reasons...

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous
when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked,
the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic
wrap and drip into the food.

Cover food with a paper towel instead.

[ƒ(x)]

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

[Jack]

Urban legend. You're busted.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp

[Jack]

Wow. Simultaneous busting.

[T- RAV]

hey I didn't write it Bra

[JodyThePig]

Cancer Update from John Hopkins

Heh.

If this is supposed to be the university, the initial sender should note that it's Johns Hopkins.

[Hook Operator]

If you read enough of these forwarded-email things, you can pick out urban legends pretty quickly. For another matter, if important things like this were true, it would be all over the news, not being forwarded between secretaries and cubicle workers.

[dimenno]

Dihydrogen Monoxide: The Invisible Killer

Its basis is the unstable radical Hydroxide, the components of which are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.

Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.
Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.
Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.
DHMO is a major component of acid rain.
Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.
Contributes to soil erosion.
Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks.
Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S.
Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

[tom from out of town]

Doctor Fujimoto:

[TEX]

The more important question;

"What doesn't give you cancer?"

[The Hypnotoad]

The more important question;

"What doesn't give you cancer?"

heroin

[Josh_Suspect]

Plastic or not, microwaves create compounds that can't be identified by science, they all leak, and are dangerous. Also unnecessary.
I actually read that in the little journal "Science news>" I won't keep one in the house at all, and shy away from plastic also. There was a national geographic article about household toxins recently, and one of the things the mention is plastics.
If it doesn't save time and/or needs to be washed anyway, why bother to have them in your house at all? Especially if microwaves and plastics are known to be potentially dangerous? Anything that lops off bits of atoms and collides them with bits of other atoms can't be good for you. Unless, of course it's a nuclear reactor.

[Hook Operator]

[FrankD]

Plastic or not, microwaves create compounds that can't be identified by science, they all leak, and are dangerous. Also unnecessary.
I actually read that in the little journal "Science news>" I won't keep one in the house at all, and shy away from plastic also. There was a national geographic article about household toxins recently, and one of the things the mention is plastics.
If it doesn't save time and/or needs to be washed anyway, why bother to have them in your house at all? Especially if microwaves and plastics are known to be potentially dangerous? Anything that lops off bits of atoms and collides them with bits of other atoms can't be good for you. Unless, of course it's a nuclear reactor.

I subscribe to this FACT.

[Josh_Suspect]

I subscribe to this FACT.

[Josh_Suspect]

From the Australian food science information site:

In commercial models, the oven has a power input of about 1000 watts of alternating current. As these microwaves generated from the magnetron bombard the food, they cause the polar molecules to rotate at the same frequency millions of times a second. All this agitation creates molecular friction, which heats up the food. The friction also causes substantial damage to the surrounding molecules, often tearing them apart or forcefully deforming them. The scientific name for this deformation is "structural isomerism.

and, further:

Radiation, as defined by physics terminology, is "the electromagnetic waves emitted by the atoms and molecules of a radioactive substance as a result of nuclear decay." Radiation causes ionization, which is what occurs when a neutral atom gains or loses electrons. In simpler terms, a microwave oven decays and changes the molecular structure of the food by the process of radiation. Had the manufacturers accurately called them "radiation ovens", it's doubtful they would have ever sold one, but that's exactly what a microwave oven is.

We've all been told that microwaving food is not the same as irradiating it (radiation "treatment"). The two processes are supposed to use completely different waves of energy and at different intensities. No FDA or officially released government studies have proven current microwaving usage to be harmful, but we all know that the validity of studies can be - and are sometimes deliberately - limiting. Many of these studies are later proven to be inaccurate. As consumers, we're supposed to have a certain degree of common sense to use in judgment.

In Comparative Study of Food Prepared Conventionally and in the Microwave Oven, published by Raum & Zelt in 1992, at 3(2): 43, it states

"A basic hypothesis of natural medicine states that the introduction into the human body of molecules and energies, to which it is not accustomed, is much more likely to cause harm than good. Microwaved food contains both molecules and energies not present in food cooked in the way humans have been cooking food since the discovery of fire. Microwave energy from the sun and other stars is direct current based. Artificially produced microwaves, including those in ovens, are produced from alternating current and force a billion or more polarity reversals per second in every food molecule they hit. Production of unnatural molecules is inevitable. Naturally occurring amino acids have been observed to undergo isomeric changes (changes in shape morphing) as well as transformation into toxic forms, under the impact of microwaves produced in ovens.

One short-term study found significant and disturbing changes in the blood of individuals consuming microwaved milk and vegetables. Eight volunteers ate various combinations of the same foods cooked different ways. All foods that were processed through the microwave ovens caused changes in the blood of the volunteers. Hemoglobin levels decreased and over all white cell levels and cholesterol levels increased. Lymphocytes decreased.

Sorry for the cut and paste, but the damn article is so long. A lot of this info is here: http://www.lessemf.com/mw-stnds.html
Read the swiss, german, russian and american studies on the effects of long-term exposure to very low levels of MW radiation (such as that produced by the acceptable range of leaking from a household MW oven), and that may give you pause.
Still looking for the original study I read about, but that was way before the internets, and it's too tough to wade through the bullshit "health" websites to try to find the meat.

There's tons more if you look, but hey, it's your life. I just think it's silly to take such a risk for no benefit at all. MW ovens are unnecessary if you have a boiling kettle and a toaster oven.
Besides, they make food taste like shit.
The original post was a hoax, but that doesn't mean it didn't make a valid assertion. Why anyone would defend a microwave oven is beyond me, unless they were purposely being stubborn. Oh yeah, that's right, this is the noiseboard. Almost forgot.

[ƒ(x)]

From the Australian food science information site:

In commercial models, the oven has a power input of about 1000 watts of alternating current. As these microwaves generated from the magnetron bombard the food, they cause the polar molecules to rotate at the same frequency millions of times a second. All this agitation creates molecular friction, which heats up the food. The friction also causes substantial damage to the surrounding molecules, often tearing them apart or forcefully deforming them. The scientific name for this deformation is "structural isomerism.

This just sounds wrong to me. Microwaves work by exciting the water and fat molocules which in turn transfer heat to the rest of the food. All of this tearing them apart sounds like bullshit to me.

Also, very few microwaves escape the oven, the holes are smaller then the waves so most of them are absorbed by the black metal. You're getting a hell of a lot more microwaves from your cell phone then you'll ever get from an oven.

That said, I don't have any need for one at home but use the one at work.

[Dave K.]

Plastic or not, microwaves create compounds that can't be identified by science, they all leak, and are dangerous. Also unnecessary.
I actually read that in the little journal "Science news>" I won't keep one in the house at all, and shy away from plastic also. There was a national geographic article about household toxins recently, and one of the things the mention is plastics.
If it doesn't save time and/or needs to be washed anyway, why bother to have them in your house at all? Especially if microwaves and plastics are known to be potentially dangerous? Anything that lops off bits of atoms and collides them with bits of other atoms can't be good for you. Unless, of course it's a nuclear reactor.

Oh boy - here we go again. "Compounds that can't be identified by science". Have you
been hanging out with Look Sharp?

I'm guessing that you are referring to "free radicals". These are created when
a molecule is split in half, with each half being unstable, due to having an unpaired
electron. These free radicals quickly react with a neighboring molecule to grab an
electron and produce a stable molecule, while also producing another free radical.
If two free radicals react with each other, the process is complete.

Several common polymers, such as polyethylene and polyporopylene, are created
using reactions based on free radicals. Also, there are widely used inks and coatings
which are cured using a similar process. However, UV light must be used to intiate
the creation of the free radicals. Microwave radiation does not have enough energy.

Another source of radiation which produces free radicals is, of course, the SUN - which is
why people get skin cancer. The reason you hear that eating fruits and vegetables can help
prevent cancer is that the natural pigments which provide the color also act as antioxidants,
which react with free radicals before they can disrupt the cell formation process.

[Josh_Suspect]

Another source of radiation which produces free radicals is, of course, the SUN - which is
why people get skin cancer. The reason you hear that eating fruits and vegetables can help
prevent cancer is that the natural pigments which provide the color also act as antioxidants,
which react with free radicals before they can disrupt the cell formation process.

Interestingly, the sun creates lots of microwaves, but they are of a different type than MW ovens, essentially DC, where a MW oven creates a sort of "AC" wave. The ovens work on this principle, in fact. If they used a DC wave, it would pass right through without causing the water molecules (not fat molecules) to attempt to align and excite a heat response through the friction of their motion.
It's also been demonstrated that they break down amino acids into less or unuseable forms. But hey, it's your life, I just don't see the value in the damn things, especially if they don't even save time. You want more chemical processing and free radicals in your food, go for it.

[Dave K.]

Interestingly, the sun creates lots of microwaves, but they are of a different type than MW ovens, essentially DC, where a MW oven creates a sort of "AC" wave. The ovens work on this principle, in fact. If they used a DC wave, it would pass right through without causing the water molecules (not fat molecules) to attempt to align and excite a heat response through the friction of their motion.
It's also been demonstrated that they break down amino acids into less or unuseable forms. But hey, it's your life, I just don't see the value in the damn things, especially if they don't even save time. You want more chemical processing and free radicals in your food, go for it.

There is no such thing as a DC or AC wave. The term microwave refers to certain
wavelengths of light - it doesn't matter how they are generated. Water molecules
can be "excited" by some of these wavelengths. While the sun generates a wide cross-section
of light, microwave ovens are designed to generate most of their radiation in the wavelengths
which act on water molecules.

If you have a source or link to back up the AC vs DC claim, I would
love to see it.

[Josh_Suspect]

There is no such thing as a DC or AC wave. The term microwave refers to certain
wavelengths of light - it doesn't matter how they are generated. Water molecules
can be "excited" by some of these wavelengths. While the sun generates a wide cross-section
of light, microwave ovens are designed to generate most of their radiation in the wavelengths
which act on water molecules.

If you have a source or link to back up the AC vs DC claim, I would
love to see it.

Funny, that though I've seen this passage all over the place:

Every microwave oven contains a magnetron, a tube in which electrons are affected by magnetic and electric fields in such a way as to produce micro wavelength radiation at about 2450 Mega Hertz (MHz) or 2.45 Giga Hertz (GHz). This microwave radiation interacts with the molecules in food. All wave energy changes polarity from positive to negative with each cycle of the wave. In microwaves, these polarity changes happen millions of times every second. Food molecules - especially the molecules of water - have a positive and negative end in the same way a magnet has a north and a south polarity.

In commercial models, the oven has a power input of about 1000 watts of alternating current. As these microwaves generated from the magnetron bombard the food, they cause the polar molecules to rotate at the same frequency millions of times a second. All this agitation creates molecular friction, which heats up the food. The friction also causes substantial damage to the surrounding molecules, often tearing them apart or forcefully deforming them. The scientific name for this deformation is "structural isomerism".

By comparison, microwaves from the sun are based on principles of pulsed direct current (DC) that don't create frictional heat; microwave ovens use alternating current (AC) creating frictional heat. A microwave oven produces a spiked wavelength of energy with all the power going into only one narrow frequency of the energy spectrum. Energy from the sun operates in a wide frequency spectrum.

Many terms are used in describing electromagnetic waves, such as wavelength, amplitude, cycle and frequency:



Wavelength determines the type of radiation, i.e. radio, X-ray, ultraviolet, visible, infrared, etc.
Amplitude determines the extent of movement measured from the starting point.
Cycle determines the unit of frequency, such as cycles per second, Hertz, Hz, or cycles/second.

Frequency determines the number of occurrences within a given time period (usually 1 second); The number of occurrences of a recurring process per unit of time, i.e. the number of repetitions of cycles per second.

Radiation = spreading energy with electromagnetic waves

Radiation, as defined by physics terminology, is "the electromagnetic waves emitted by the atoms and molecules of a radioactive substance as a result of nuclear decay." Radiation causes ionization, which is what occurs when a neutral atom gains or loses electrons. In simpler terms, a microwave oven decays and changes the molecular structure of the food by the process of radiation. Had the manufacturers accurately called them "radiation ovens", it's doubtful they would have ever sold one, but that's exactly what a microwave oven is.

I've also seen this, from Virginia.edu's "how things work" website, which seems to say there's a rectifier involved:

869. What are the key components of a microwave oven?
In addition to the digital controller that runs the microwave, it contains (1) a power relay that allows the controller to turn on and off the microwave source, (2) a power transformer that produces the high voltage electricity needed by the magnetron, (3) a power rectifier that converts the alternating current from the transformer into the direct current needed by the magnetron, (4) a capacitor that smoothes out ripples in the direct current leaving the rectifier, (5) a magnetron that uses the high voltage direct current to produce an intense beam of microwaves, (6) a wave guide that transports the microwaves from the magnetron to the cooking chamber, and (7) a cooking chamber in which the food absorbs the microwaves and becomes hotter.
Then again, a microwave is by nature an "alternating" current, as are all waves.
There are also studies that suggest that even low levels of microwaves at 2450 mHz can cause real health problems with regular exposure over a long period of time.
Problem is, there are so many "natural food" and health chicken little sites, it's hard to glean sources from all the links that pop up in a search.
It would seem that there are two different stories, so I'll stick by my original reasons for not owning one:
1. Makes food taste like shit.
2. Unnecessary, and dont signifigantly save time.
3. Possibly dangerous, and certainly not a natural way of heating food.

[Dave K.]

I've also seen this, from Virginia.edu's "how things work" website, which seems to say there's a rectifier involved:

869. What are the key components of a microwave oven?
In addition to the digital controller that runs the microwave, it contains (1) a power relay that allows the controller to turn on and off the microwave source, (2) a power transformer that produces the high voltage electricity needed by the magnetron, (3) a power rectifier that converts the alternating current from the transformer into the direct current needed by the magnetron, (4) a capacitor that smoothes out ripples in the direct current leaving the rectifier, (5) a magnetron that uses the high voltage direct current to produce an intense beam of microwaves, (6) a wave guide that transports the microwaves from the magnetron to the cooking chamber, and (7) a cooking chamber in which the food absorbs the microwaves and becomes hotter.
Then again, a microwave is by nature an "alternating" current, as are all waves.
There are also studies that suggest that even low levels of microwaves at 2450 mHz can cause real health problems with regular exposure over a long period of time.
Problem is, there are so many "natural food" and health chicken little sites, it's hard to glean sources from all the links that pop up in a search.
It would seem that there are two different stories, so I'll stick by my original reasons for not owning one:
1. Makes food taste like shit.
2. Unnecessary, and dont signifigantly save time.
3. Possibly dangerous, and certainly not a natural way of heating food.

The info. from the Virginia.edu website looks more plausible.

And if you don't want to use a microwave, more power to you.

[ladyeleanor]

Microwaves don't cook using high heat. They only heat to about 212ºF - boiling point. As DaveK stated, It is the friction caused by the microwaves that "excites" the water molecules and cooks the food.

[Josh_Suspect]

Microwaves don't cook using high heat. They only heat to about 212ºF - boiling point. As DaveK stated, It is the friction caused by the microwaves that "excites" the water molecules and cooks the food.

One of the hazards that everyone agrees on is that it is possible that bacteria, such as e. coli and salmonella may not be fully killed due to the uneven heating nature of microwave ovens.
They heat to 212 if there is water in what you 're trying to heat, but if there is no water there is also a real and immediate danger of superheating the substance--that's why you're not supposed to put straight oils ,empty containers, or anhydrous materials in there. The FDA has warnings on both of these.