Circulating in Whatsapp and Facebook
FALSE: Japanese government bans microwave ovens
Claim: The Japanese government is banning microwave ovens “before the end of this year” due to the potential harm of radio waves to humans
A post by Facebook page Health & Wellness Online PH said the reason behind the ban was a research by University of Hiroshima scientists that showed radio waves “cause greater harm to the health of citizens over the last 20 years.”
The post also claimed that using microwave ovens is “more harmful than the American atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Sept 1945,” and that food heated in a microwave oven has “very unhealthy vibrations and radiation, according to experts.” The page posted this claim on October 17 and was flagged by Facebook Claim Check, the social network’s dashboard tool that identifies potentially dubious posts shared across the platform.
Rappler found 12 other Facebook pages and accounts that publicly posted the same claim from September to October 2019. These posts got over 600 shares, 300 reactions, and 70 comments as of writing.
Microwave ovens do not make the food ‘radioactive’. Japan’s government is not disposing of them
A post is being shared widely on social media with a claim that the Japanese government has decided to dispose of all the microwave ovens in their country by this year-end. There is also another claim that food heated in a microwave oven has radiation. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post.
When searched on Google whether the Japanese government has taken such a decision, it was found that no credible news agency has reported about any such decision and the news was first published by a Russian website [‘panorama’] in March-2019. On the website, in the ‘Disclaimer’, it can be read that all the articles on the website are satirical and fictitious. So, the Japanese government has not decided to ban or dispose of microwave ovens. Previously, the same claim has also been debunked by Snopes.
On the WHO website, it can be read that ‘food cooked in a microwave oven does not become “radioactive”.’ Even in the article by US Food and Drug Administration on the ‘Microwave Oven Radiation’, it can be read that ‘the microwave energy is changed to heat as it is absorbed by food, and does not make food “radioactive” or “contaminated”.’
No, the Japanese government has not banned microwave ovens to protect citizens’ health
Multiple Facebook posts shared tens of thousands of times in 2019 claim that Japan has banned microwave ovens and will dispose of all of them "before the end of this year" to protect citizens' health. This is false; there have been no recent government announcements banning microwaves and AFP found an earlier instance of the claim in an article on a Russian satirical website. The claim has been made repeatedly on Facebook, for example in this post published May 6, 2019.
Below is a screenshot of the false post, showing the first section of its lengthy caption. The caption's first three lines state:
- "JAPAN DISPOSING MICROWAVE OVENS for health safety. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR OUR HEALTH. The Japanese government decided to dispose of all microwave ovens in the country before the end of this year.
- "All citizens and organizations that do not fulfill the requirement are threatened with prison sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years, depending on the severity of the crime."
- The same claim has been published elsewhere on Facebook, for example here, here, and here. An almost identical claim in Spanish has also been shared more than 25,000 times in this Facebook post published April 22, 2019.
FACT CHECK: Is Japanese government disposing off all microwave ovens?
A long, viral WhatsApp message claims that the Japanese government has decided to dispose of all ‘microwave ovens’ in the country before the end of 2019 and citizens and organizations not obliging would be thrown behind bars.
The message says that the reason for a ban on ‘microwaves ovens’ is based on a research by scientists from the University of Hiroshima, where they discovered that ‘microwaves’ cause greater harm to the health of citizens over 20 years. The purported research found microwaves to be more harmful than nuclear bombs USA deployed in September 1945.
The message further claims that all the largest manufacturers of microwave ovens in Japan have already been closed. Here’s the message as received by Times Fact Check on its WhatsApp number from an avid reader.
Did the Japanese Government Ban Microwave Ovens?
In late-April 2019, we started receiving queries from people who had encountered a rumor holding that Japan was banning microwave ovens’ use in the country by the year 2020. Here’s one such query (formatted and edited for clarity): Is this true? The Japanese government decided to dispose of all the “microwave ovens” in the country before the end of this year and all citizens and organizations that do not meet the requirement, are threatened with prison terms?
Japan is not banning microwave ovens. This rumor originated on a Russian satire website, was then picked up by several Spanish-language news outlets, and then went viral on Facebook. On 3 March 2019, the Russian website Panorama.pub published an article entitled “Япония окончательно откажется от СВЧ-печей к 2020 году” or “Japan finally abandons microwave ovens by 2020.”
The article, translated via Google, started: “The Japanese government decided to dispose of all microwave ovens in the country before the end of this year. All citizens and organizations that do not fulfill the requirement are threatened with prison sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years, depending on the severity of the crime.”
No, Japanese government hasn’t decided to dispose all microwave ovens in the country
“The Japanese government decided to dispose of all the “microwave ovens” in the country before the end of this year and all citizens and organizations that do not meet the requirement, are threatened with prison terms,” reads a text message circulating on Facebook and Twitter. The message implied that the Japanese government has banned the use of microwave ovens and henceforth, will take stringent actions against those who do not follow the norm. The message is as follows: Several individuals on WhatsApp have requested Alt News to fact-check this message.
Alt News found that this hoax about Japenese government banning the use of microwave oven has been circulating on the Internet from the beginning of May 2018. American fact-checking website Snopes had debunked this hoax and found that this narrative of Japan banning microwave ovens originated from a Russian satirical website. This satirical article was later published by several Spanish news outlets and then was shared on Facebook.
A Russian website named, Panorama.pub, had published a piece with the title, “Япония окончательно откажется от СВЧ-печей к 2020 году (Japan finally abandon microwave ovens by 2020 -Google translated)”, on March 3, 2019.
FIT WebQoof: Microwaves Ain’t Harmful & Japan Isn’t Banning Them
The news around health and microwaves is as old as microwaves themselves. The latest making rounds in the social media is about Japan banning microwaves completely. In the claim we received on mail, it reads, “The Japanese government decided to dispose of all microwave ovens in the country before the end of this year. All citizens and organizations that do not fulfill the requirement are threatened with prison sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years, depending on the severity of the crime.
The reason for the ban on microwaves in the Land of the Rising Sun was research by scientists from the University of Hiroshima, who found out that radioactive waves caused more harm to the health of citizens over the 20 years of use of the microwave oven than the nuclear bombing of American aircraft in September 1945.
According to the findings of experts, food, heated in a microwave oven, has unfavourable vibrations, in disharmony with the universal rhythms. All the largest manufacturers of microwave ovens in Japan have already closed factory workshops where products were manufactured. In 2021, the termination of the production of microwave ovens will be announced in South Korea, China plans to abandon this type of technology in 2023.” (sic)
Targeted microwave ovens: claims to be abandoned in Japan
“A ban on the use of microwaves on Japanese land was prompted by a study by researchers at the University of Hiroshima, which revealed that microwaves caused more damage to citizens’ health in 20 years than the bombing of US planes in 1945. September ‘, – is published in the Liar, which has recently been very actively shared on social networks.
Internet users began sharing messages about the impending ban on microwave ovens in Japan back in 2019. This news was created and first published on the Russian Satirical News page panorama.pub.
The satirical news even mentions an identical punishment, repeated by liars – for refusing to obey the government’s order to throw away the microwave – from 5 to 15 years in prison. The study by Hiroshima scholars was also invented by Russian humorists.
Japan will finally phase out microwave ovens by 2020
The Japanese government has decided to dispose of all microwave ovens in the country by the end of this year. All citizens and organizations that do not comply with the requirement face prison sentences ranging from 5 to 15 years, depending on the severity of the crime.
The reason for the ban on microwaves in the Land of the Rising Sun was research by scientists from the University of Hiroshima, who found that over 20 years of using microwave ovens, radioactive waves caused more harm to the health of citizens than the nuclear bombing of American aircraft in August 1945. According to the conclusions of experts, food heated in a microwave oven has unfavorable vibrations that are out of harmony with the universal rhythms.
In addition, the scientists conducted an experiment: they placed 5 cockroaches in a microwave oven and left the emitter turned on for 3 hours at a power of 3000 watts in the "grill" mode. As a result, all insects died. All major manufacturers of microwave ovens in Japan have already closed the factory workshops where the products were produced. In 2021, the termination of the production of microwave ovens was announced in South Korea, China plans to abandon this type of technology in 2023.
WHO: Radiation Microwave Ovens
Are microwave safe? When used according to manufacturers' instructions, microwave ovens are safe and convenient for heating and cooking a variety of foods. However, several precautions need to be taken, specifically with regards to potential exposure to microwaves, thermal burns and food handling.
Microwave safety - The design of microwave ovens ensures that the microwaves are contained within the oven and can only be present when the oven is switched on and the door is shut. Leakage around and through the glass door is limited by design to a level well below that recommended by international standards. However, microwave leakage could still occur around damaged, dirty or modified microwave ovens. It is therefore important that the oven is maintained in good condition. Users should check that the door closes properly and that the safety interlock devices, fitted to the door to prevent microwaves from being generated while it is open, work correctly. The door seals should be kept clean and there should be no visible signs of damage to the seals or the outer casing of the oven. If any faults are found or parts of the oven are damaged, it should not be used until it has been repaired by an appropriately qualified service engineer.
Microwave energy can be absorbed by the body and produce heat in exposed tissues. Organs with a poor blood supply and temperature control, such as the eye, or temperature-sensitive tissue like the testes, have a higher risk of heat damage. However, thermal damage would only occur from long exposures to very high power levels, well in excess of those measured around microwave ovens.
