Microwaving Phone Can Show Radiation Leaks

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Seeing as it's been about 60 years since the first microwave ovens were sold, it's safe to say we're pretty used to seeing them now. So much so that it's fairly easy to forget the amazing work going on inside one when you cook something. The reason it works so quickly is because it uses radiation to heat up the water molecules inside your food.

This fact is enough to scare some people into worrying about the safety of using one. It can also lead to strange little rumors like the one claiming you can make yourself sterile by sitting on one.

But microwaves use a different kind of radiation than the cancer-causing agents you find in nuclear waste. The waste has ionizing radiation, which is what causes the dangerous mutations. Microwaves use non-ionizing radiation, which doesn't have this effect.

You shouldn't use a microwave that doesn't close properly, but that's more because you could severely burn yourself than anything else.

But just because microwaves aren't dangerous doesn't mean they're as rock-solid as you might think. And to find out how well-made yours is, all you need is a cell phone.

A YouTuber who goes by the name Physics Girl has come up with an interesting test to see just much radiation is getting through that little door. As she does in the full video, you can put it in and try to call it.

Of course, unless you want your phone to catch on fire, you don't want it to be running. But once you do this, one of two things will happen.

One one hand, your phone might not ring at all when you call it. This means your microwave isn't leaking any radiation since the cell signal can't get through.

But if your phone does ring, it means your microwave is leaking a little bit of radiation. As I said, this isn't a big deal as long as there's no problem with your door, its seals, or its hinges, but it's interesting that this leakage seems to depend on the microwave. Plus, it's a neat test that most people wouldn't really think of trying.

To find out how this leakage is happening, Physics Girl puts this phenomenon through some pretty thorough testing in the full video.

COMMENT and let us know how good your microwave is at keeping its radiation inside.

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