Microwave radiation won't cause cancer, it just heats food up. In fact only a few types of radiation cause cancer and these depend on the dose - just like radiation from the sun can cause skin cancer but just enough helps your body make Vitamin D.

Microwave ovens don't make foods radioactive. They just heat them. Microwave ovens heat food by producing radiation which is absorbed by water molecules in the food. This makes the water molecules vibrate and produce heat, which cooks the food.

Any modern day microwave oven in good condition is perfectly safe as long as you follow the instructions for use. If you use a microwave oven in the correct way there is no known harmful effect on humans. But people still tend to worry. Understanding the different types of radiation may help to reassure you that cooking in a microwave is not dangerous and won't cause cancer.

Although microwaves are safe to use it is important to point out that cooking in them can affect the nutritional value of some foods - for example, fruit and vegetables. But nutrients are lost when heating foods in any way - boiling, grilling, frying or even steaming. As long as you don't overcook foods, microwaving can actually be quite a healthy way to cook, as it uses only a little water. The best way to keep as many nutrients as possible in fruit and vegetables is to use as little water as you can and not overcook them.