4 ms·

The biggest danger is generally to your eyes because they contain significant water content but lack the circulatory cooling found in other parts of the body du

The biggest danger is generally to your eyes because they contain significant water content but lack the circulatory cooling found in other parts of the body due to the need to be transparent. Looking into a running microwave with the door open can pose a cataract risk. https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/resources-you-radiation-emitting-products/microwave-oven-radiation#Microwave_Ovens_and_Health https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/resources-yo...

bell-cot 5y ago
Oh, yes. Think of what happens to the clear "white" of an egg (proteins + water) when you heat it up. Which clear parts of your eyeballs (also proteins + water) would you be okay with that happening to?
causality0 5y ago
Interesting. I wonder if looking too closely into a fire carries the same risk.
- somebodynew 5y ago
  Infrared eye protection is important for glassblowers looking at molten glass [1]. Back of the envelope math suggests that an occupation that required staring at an intense fire for long periods of time would violate the same workplace safety thresholds, but I have not been able to locate any studies that specifically investigated looking at fire. There are a surprising number of different jobs that involve staring at incandescence from molten glass or metal, but I think the most interesting is an operator of a disappearing-filament pyrometer [2]. [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0275540896000877 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02755... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearing-filament_pyrometer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearing-filament_pyromete...
xyzzy21 5y ago
And if you are a man, your balls - which must be kept below body temperature - even raising them to 37C/98.6F will reduce fertility - heating them with microwaves goes far beyond that modest risk.

bell-cot 5y ago

Oh, yes. Think of what happens to the clear "white" of an egg (proteins + water) when you heat it up. Which clear parts of your eyeballs (also proteins + water) would you be okay with that happening to?

causality0 5y ago

Interesting. I wonder if looking too closely into a fire carries the same risk.

somebodynew 5y ago
Infrared eye protection is important for glassblowers looking at molten glass [1]. Back of the envelope math suggests that an occupation that required staring at an intense fire for long periods of time would violate the same workplace safety thresholds, but I have not been able to locate any studies that specifically investigated looking at fire. There are a surprising number of different jobs that involve staring at incandescence from molten glass or metal, but I think the most interesting is an operator of a disappearing-filament pyrometer [2]. [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0275540896000877 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02755... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearing-filament_pyrometer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearing-filament_pyromete...

xyzzy21 5y ago

And if you are a man, your balls - which must be kept below body temperature - even raising them to 37C/98.6F will reduce fertility - heating them with microwaves goes far beyond that modest risk.