Is Your Microwave Leaking Radiation?

From home kitchens to canteens, microwaves are stapled appliances that many people use completely unaware of how they work.

But it may panic some users to discover that the metal boxes of radiation aren’t quite as self-contained as first thought.

A video has revealed a simple trick to determine if your microwave is ‘leaking’ using just two mobile phones – but don’t worry, even if it is leaking it’s unlikely to cause any harm.

The video was produced by San Diego-based YouTuber Physics Girl.

She films herself placing a phone in a microwave and calling it, thus demonstrating that the oven’s protective casing is not impervious to radiation and that signals can still pass through.

In series of simple experiments, the video also shows data and Wi-Fi signals can pass through the oven’s protective casing, suggesting that small amounts of microwave energy can escape.

The surprising results show that the casing is not a perfect Faraday cage, which uses mesh to block electromagnetic wavelengths from passing through.