Is there a danger of microwave leaking radiation?
The truth is that it would not matter if a microwave oven was leaking microwave radiation. Microwave radiation is non-ionizing radiation, and therefore, cannot possibly cause cancer, no matter what the intensity is (this was first explained in 1905 in "The Photoelectric Effect"…the paper that earned Albert Einstein his one and only nobel prize.) Thus, you could stick your head in the chamber, and you still would not ever get cancer from the radiation. Such an endeavor would certainly cause injury or death from intense heating, so don’t do it. But the point is, that one is much more likely to get cancer from standing next to a blue-colored wall than from a microwave oven.
There is little cause for concern about excess microwaves leaking from ovens unless the door hinges, latch, or seals are damaged. In FDA’s experience, most ovens tested show little or no detectable microwave leakage. If there is some problem and you believe your oven might be leaking excessive microwaves, contact the oven manufacturer, a microwave oven service organization, your state health department, or the nearest FDA office. Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Devices and Radiological Health Consumer Information. Web site: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/microwave.
