Do microwaves leak radiation?

Do cell phones placed in a microwave still receive signals? Well...depends on the microwave!

Applied Hacking with Samy Kamkar

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Creator: Dianna Cowern

Music: APM and YouTube

[tomaskruger]

A microwave oven is NOT a faraday cage. If so it would need to have galvanic connection around its door, which would stop working if stained with grease. Instead the door has a ditch behind the plastics. The width of this ditch is tuned to effectivly block only the frequency of the oven by creating an inverted reflection. Other frequencies, such as the ones from your phone, will not be blocked.

[johndeeregreen]

Thank you for pointing out it is nonionizing radiation. I am a radio engineer (mostly working in the fields of radar, microwave, and UHF point-to-point links), and I hear so many people thinking microwave ovens leak nuclear-type radiation. Which is an erroneous, albeit, perpetuated myth.

[IamwithMichael]

In 1938 My uncle made a microwave for a college project. It would heat an coffee mug of water. This was reported in the local paper "local boy cooks with cold heat" . After graduating from LSU He went for work at Bell Labs. At the end of 1939 the Us Army sent him to Britain to work on and learn radar. He said we (the US) thought we were something until we saw the cavity magnetron. You have to remember it took a lot of power to generate microwaves until the cavity magnetron. When they got cold they would place 3 radar units around them to keep warm. He stated "Made you feel all warm in side." The GI chocolate bars in their pockets would also soften. He purchased a Raytheon Radar Range in the late 50's. People were afraid of the radiation from the ovens and didn't want them in there homes. He on the other hand thought they were great.

[gammaymeh]

Is it bad I expected her to microwave her phone?

[warrennz]

I'm a retired radio engineer. I've measured 2 microwave ovens with a professional power flux density meter and the only field it could detect was around the door seal. Orders of magnitude below the safety limit but enough to potentially cause interference to a radio receiver using a frequency close to 2.45 GHz.

[jacquesbayman]

Working for years with RF from cell phone network myself. No fear. For years our microwave had its front glass missing. The screen was intact, but it was incredible how many people were concerned about getting radiation. Like glass would stop microwaves.😂 I pointed out the obvious, that we cook in glass bowls much thicker and that does not stop the radiation.

[BongoXx]

I used to repair microwave ovens in the 90’s and we had a leakage checker before sending it out. Only one oven ever showed leakage at ~4mw leaking from the casing due to a faulty shell grounding design(paint prevented complete grounding).

[joelmulder]

It wouldn’t be harmful even if you pointed the magnetron straight at you.

Microwave radiation isn’t just non-ionizing, it’s also not particularly interactive, and usually just goes straight through whatever it’s pointed at.
That’s why the walls of a microwave oven need to be made out of microwave reflective material. Each individual photon usually requires thousands of bounces before it gets absorbed and heats the food.
A microwave oven isn’t even designed to be a faraday cage, the only part of it that has that mesh protection is the front.

[Megatron-mj]

Fun fact: you can actually superheat your water in the microwave. That's where it is above boiling points temperature wise, but it's not boiling due to not having a nucleation point for it to start.

[dudeinanofficechair]

Without knowing which particular band you phone and cell tower are using, there's no particular reason your microwave should block a cell signal. They're designed to shield a particular frequency and cell signals can be all over the place

[The-Caged-King]

Check out the latest video on microwaves from MrGreen if you’re at all concerned about the dangers of microwaves. He demonstrates that they aren’t actually as dangerous as you might believe. At least the radiation itself isn’t, the high voltage will surely still kill you if your not careful

[DanRandom]

Oh, I just saw this short from you and was so excited thinking you were back, then realised it was an old video. I’m literally sad to realise you’re not back yet. I’ll keep thinking of you and look forward to the day when you’re feeling better. In the meantime I’ll keep rewatching your content. All my thoughts 😊😊😊

[googleevil]

Everyone in the world somehow just became super experts on microwaves. Congratulations 🎉

[maddydog]

Someone posted a video saying put your cellphone in a microwave and set it for 30 seconds on high to quickly charge your phone, my nephew actually did that and it fried his phone of course, some people are gullible 😮

[ahni]

If you *rip the door off* and manage to turn on the microwave, you would have to be within *half a meter* for it to be dangerous for an _instant exposure._ The radiation is not directed at the door so most of it stays inside the box _even if the door is gone._

[Tizoc]

Yes it does, I m an electronics Tech and I have tested microwaves with High tech devices, these devices register electromagmetic radiation mostly thru the Window, eventhough they have a screen
I never ever stand in front of the microwave
to look at my food get irradiated.
No way, Jose!!!!

[JehovahRapha]

You don't want any radiation to leak out! You want all that radiation to be perfectly observed into your food 🍲😋

[Mister_Clipster]

Wish you all the best, get well soon Dianna! ❤

[billreal]

Thanks, Dianna! Your team is still keeping us safe! Praying for your recovery.

[AEheyeh]

The suns radiation is way more deadly to the point where it's well documented that long term exposure to the sunlight melanoma but the average person just ignores all that