Dr. Mercola January 23 2007 12,424 views
I’m obviously not a fan of microwaves to heat or cook your food, but researchers have found one good use for them: killing germs on your kitchen sponge. After soaking sponges and scrubbers in dirty water (that contained everything from fecal bacteria and viruses to parasites and bacterial spores), the researchers found just two minutes in the microwave was enough to kill 99 percent of the living pathogens.
Zapping sponges in the microwave every other day will decontaminate them better than simply putting them in the dishwasher, and you should wet them first, as the heated water seemed to help the sterilization process.
The other reason you'll want to ensure any sponge you place in a microwave is completely wet: A dry sponge will catch fire, toasting the microwave and the sponge, as some have learned.
Interestingly, the microwave was even able to kill B. cereus spores, which are able to survive extreme heat and radiation (though it took four minutes, not two). It’s no wonder, then, why heating food in a microwave zaps away nutrients and changes the chemical structure of foods, with virtually unknown consequences.
Journal of Environmental Health December 2006;69(5):17-24
LiveScience.com January 22, 2007
My microwave is long gone, but here are 10 reasons you may not be aware of to throw it out.
Continually eating food processed from a microwave causes long term, permanent brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain (de-polorizing or de-magnetizing the brain tissue).
The human body cannot metabolize (breakdown) the unknown by-products created in microwaved food.
Male and female hormone production is shut down and/or altered by continually eating microwaved food.
The effects of microwaved food by-products are long term, permanent within the human body.
Minerals, vitamins, and nutrients of all microwaved food is reduced or altered so that the human body gets little or no benefits.
The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals.
Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous growths (tumors). This may explain the rapid increase rate in colon cancer in america.
The prolonged eating of microwaved foods causes cancerous cells to increase in the human blood.
Continual ingestion of microwaved food causes immune system deficiencies through lymph gland and serum alterations.
Loss of memory, concentration, emotional instability, and a decrease of intelligence.
So here's the plan, we take all the microwave ovens being produced, plus portable generators and fuel, and distribute them for FREE in the tribal regions of the Paksitan and Afghanistan border. Oh yes, throuw in a life time supply of free plastic wrap and containers also.
We destroy the health and well being, and thus continued evil of the terrorists, at a fraction of the current cost of our military presence, and not sacrifice one American or innocent life!
Once we have defeated our enemies there, we expand the program to Syria, Iran, North Korea, Mob Runned Russia, etc.
SMI - the Strategic Microwave Initiative...it beats Star Wars...
No nucelar winter from tactical nukes, no background radiation, and the goals are achieved, in less time and much less capital expenditure!
You just think I'm joking...
Hey,hey! Careful with other countries! Russia might be run by the mob but plenty of innocent people live there.
The population there is rapidly declining already.You don't need to do anything.Just watch it being westernised more and turning from the native foods and native methods of cooking.
Another way to get rid of the need for a microwave is to eat raw foods! There are huge benefits to eating raw food (even if you don't do it 100%). Then you don't need to cook anything. Microwaves become a thing of the past.
However, when you throw out your microwave, you may end up with a big hole in your kitchen. Good place to store all of your raw food cookbooks! [:D]
Dr. Mercola,
I have a built in GE Monogram Advantium that came with my newly constructed house. After reading many of your articles on microwave ovens i realize i should have gotten a double oven instead. Anyhow, I was wondering if the Convection option of the microwave is just as dangerous or less so? What are your thoughts on this heating method.