Question

Claim: Doctors say colon cancer is on the rise due to toxins absorbed while cooking food in the microwave.

Source: https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/foocommunity/3025089750097425522

Answer 1

The Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit academic medical center focused on health care, education, and research. According to the Mayo Clinic, plastic containers and wraps labeled as safe for microwaving do not pose a threat or lead to cancer. The Mayo Clinic states that there is some evidence that plastic containers that are not microwave safe could potentially leak plastic into food. As long as containers are microwave safe, there is not a danger linked to using them.

Additionally, The American Cancer Society is a voluntary health organization that aims to eliminate cancer. The American Cancer Society states that mircowaving food does not lead to cancer. This is another reputable source and has the same conclusion as the Mayo Clinic.

Both of these sources are reputable in the health and cancer fields. Both support the conclusion that using a microwave does not cause cancer. Therefore, I would say the claim in Ghost Archive is misinformation.

Mayo Clinic Link: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cancer/in-depth/cancer-causes/art-20044714

American Cancer Society Link: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/eat-healthy-get-active/acs-guidelines-nutrition-physical-activity-cancer-prevention/common-questions.html

Answer 2

The article linked below explains the improper use of plastics in the microwave (ie. using single-use more than once, etc.) MIGHT release plastics into whatever you are microwaving, all plastics that are deemed "microwavable safe" are approved by the FDA. This means that that is safe and tested not to shed plastics and toxins. That being said, there is currently no direct correlation between increasing colon cancer and toxins absorbed from the microwave.

Source: https://www.verywellhealth.com/is-plastic-a-carcinogen-or-not-796983

Answer 3

This claim is false. Microwave ovens do not cause colon cancer. The U.S Food and Drug Administration, amongst many others, have claimed that microwaves do not make food radioactive or contaminated. Although using containers labeled as microwave safe to heat food is essential in order to avoid melting or leaking chemicals. According to author Timothy Jorgensen, it would be hard to link colon cancer and microwaves directly, "...it would be hard to show whether the association was because of microwave cooking or the processed foods they are typically used to heat." There are many colon cancer risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, bad diet, etc. None of which involve microwaves. 

Sources:

- "Doctors say colon cancer is on the rise due to toxins absorbed while cooking food (in) the microwave.”

- Microwave Oven Radiation

- Is Plastic a Carcinogen?

- What Are the Risk Factors for Colorectal Cancer?

- Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation

Answer 4

This claim is false.

Cancer Council an Australian non-profit organization focusing on cancer states, "Microwaves, radio waves, and the light we can see, are all examples of non-ionising radiation." Then it claims that the only non-ionsing radiation that causes cancer is ultraviolet (UV) light such as staying in the sun for too long without protection, therefore microwaves are not known to cause cancer. 

CancerCouncil

The FDA directly states in a section on their website about microwave use, that "microwave energy is changed to heat as it is absorbed by food, and does not make food “radioactive” or "contaminated." Making it apparent that the direct use of microwaves does not cause cancer. 

FDA

Although these sources have led to the conclusion that the direct use of microwaves has no correlation with developing cancer. The website attached to this claim may have misinterpreted claims made by doctors, instead of microwaves themselves posing threats of developing cancer such as colon cancer, what actually is being microwaved such as different materials of tupperware, containers, etc., may be the problem. 

Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, a nonprofit cancer treatment and research center makes it apparent that plastic food wraps, containers, etc., labeled by the FDA as 'microwave-safe,' are safe to use and are not known to cause cancer. The article continues on to say that the public is worried about the toxin called, 'dioxin' entering food, which is commonly associated with microwaving plastic products. The cancer center makes it clear that "However, plastics don't contain dioxins. Rather, dioxins are created when plastics and other substances burn or melt. As long as you don't burn your food in a microwave or use containers not intended for microwave use that could melt and possibly leak chemicals into your food, you aren't exposing yourself to dioxins. If a container does not have a microwave-safe label, it isn’t necessarily unsafe; the FDA just hasn’t determined whether it is or not.” The article makes it clear that plastic doesn't naturally contain the toxin called dioxin that can lead to cancer; however, the toxin can be released when plastic burns or melts. This is can be rare for microwave-safe products approved by the FDA. 

Moffitt

All the sources I have gathered point to this claim being false as there is no direct association between microwaving and developing cancer, specifically in the colon. Also, toxins do not get released into food by the radiation of microwaves and the plastic containers and wraps used. Therefore this claim is false.