FIT WebQoof: Microwaves Ain’t Harmful & Japan Isn’t Banning Them

The news around health and microwaves is as old as microwaves themselves. The latest making rounds in the social media is about Japan banning microwaves completely.Too caught up to read? Listen to the story here:The ClaimIn the claim we received on mail, it reads, “The Japanese government decided to dispose of all microwave ovens in the country before the end of this year. All citizens and organizations that do not fulfill the requirement are threatened with prison sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years, depending on the severity of the crime.The reason for the ban on microwaves in the Land of the Rising Sun was research by scientists from the University of Hiroshima, who found out that radioactive waves caused more harm to the health of citizens over the 20 years of use of the microwave oven than the nuclear bombing of American aircraft in September 1945.According to the findings of experts, food, heated in a microwave oven, has unfavourable vibrations, in disharmony with the universal rhythms.All the largest manufacturers of microwave ovens in Japan have already closed factory workshops where products were manufactured. In 2021, the termination of the production of microwave ovens will be announced in South Korea, China plans to abandon this type of technology in 2023.” (sic)Social Media Flooded With News of Japan’s Microwave BanFrom Twitter to Reddit, the news has been doing the rounds on several platforms.And it goes on...True or False?FALSE: If the idea of a microwave ban in Japan hassles you, you can breathe easy because it’s not true at all. Apparently, the source of the fake news was a Russian satirical website, according to this report. Find below the screenshot from the website:Another fact checking site, has also found the claims to be completely false. Panorama.pub, the Russian site is satire and they clearly state so in their stories. The claims harps on how microwaves are harmful for health and are causing “disharmony with the universal rhythms”. None of this is true.According to this report by Harvard Medical School, there really is no proven connection between cancer and microwaves. On the contrary, in some ways, microwaves actually help with locking in the nutrients of the food which might get lost in traditional ways of cooking.Since microwaves require less cooking time, food nutrients like Vitamin C, which break down due to exposure to heat, are preserved while the preparation of the food. Additionally, cooking vegetables in water also diminishes their nutritional value as the cooking water leaches out the nutrients. Since microwaves require very little amount of water for cooking, they further keep the nutrients intact.While some nutrients of food items are lost in all forms of cooking, microwave does remain one of the healthier ways of doing it, since it keeps the vitamins and minerals preserved, points out another report. It adds that microwaves also prevent the formation of harmful compounds in many food items.However some basic guidelines need to be kept in mind while using microwaves. These include not using plastic containers and to ensure that the food is evenly heated.Also Read: Are Your Plastic Containers Making You Sick?(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9910181818, or e-mail it to us at webqoof@thequint.com and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)

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FIT WebQoof: Microwaves Ain’t Harmful & Japan Isn’t Banning Them

The news doing the rounds states that Japan is banning microwaves for their radiations are very harmful for health.

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Topics: Health Japan Webqoof