Food is meant to nourish the body, but can the act of cooking cause you harm? Check out induction stove electromagnetic radiation.
Cooking is an ancient technology, and for apparent reasons: humans would not have survived (much less thrived) without honing the art of feeding themselves. The primary idea of cooking is pretty prehistoric: “fire plus food equals cooked food” is pretty much all that is needed.
There are not a lot of differences between roasting a hunted animal over an open fire, as our forefathers would have done, and cooking it with gas or electricity in an oven, as it’s done today. That is not to say that there have been no advancements in cooking technology.
High Energy Radio Waves
In the 20th century, brilliant inventors invented two completely new ways of cooking. One, the microwave oven, employs high-energy radio waves to heat food efficiently and quickly in a fraction of the time it would take with a conventional oven.
The other, induction cooking, employs electromagnetism to turn cooking pots into cookers (generating heat energy inside the pot rather than pulling it from the outside), allowing food to be cooked faster and safer using less energy.
Everyone is familiar with microwaves nowadays, but induction stoves are much less well known. In this article, we will discuss what induction stoves are, but more importantly, why and how they emit non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation and what can be done to protect yourself from it.
What is Induction?
Before induction cooking can be understood, induction needs to be understood.
The first thing to know is that “induction” is a shortened way of saying “electromagnetic induction”. In summary, induction means the generation of electricity by magnetism.
This comes from the simple fact that magnetism and electricity are not separate and unrelated things (as we originally learned in school), but rather two different aspects of a similar underlying phenomenon: electromagnetism.
You don’t have to know much about electromagnetism to understand induction cooking, just that a changing electrical current can create magnetism and a changing magnetic field can create electricity.
When you hear someone talk about induction or something that uses induction, it just means that magnetism is being used to create electricity.
How Does Induction Cooking Work?
Under each cooking zone of the induction cooktop, there is a coil in which an alternating current of the medium frequency (20 to 100 kHz) circulates. This creates a powerful magnetic field of the same frequency, which passes through the ceramic lid unimpeded and enters the pot on the cooking zone.
The magnetic field generates a flowing current (eddy current) in the electrically conductive bottom of the pot. This principle is known as induction.
The bottom of the pot is made of a material in which the heat loss from eddy currents is as high as possible at the frequency used. This occurs in ferromagnetic materials.
With these materials, the alternating field is pressed into the outer layer of the bottom of the pan (skin effect), which increases the material’s resistance to current and generates powerful heat.
The alternating magnetic field at the bottom of the pan also magnetizes and demagnetizes the material repeatedly, creating additional heat. The pot and the induction coil in the cooking zone form a condenser.
When the induction coil is turned on, the pan is electrically charged. When someone touches the pot, a small current (leakage current) can pass through that person’s body. At low temperatures, it may not burn, but it will absorb magnetic field radiation directly from the pan and pot.
Do Induction Stoves Emit EMF?
Yes, induction stoves emit EMF radiation when in use and this radiation can be dangerous if improperly handled.
Induction stoves give off a fairly sizable amount of electromagnetic radiation and you run the greatest risk when you are near the stove.
However, distance and the right equipment can greatly reduce your risk. Put simply, an induction hob increases your exposure to high levels of electromagnetic radiation, whereas a normal electric or gas stove would not expose you as much.
The more you are exposed to electromagnetic radiation, the more likely you are to develop serious health problems. It’s highly recommended that a person limit their exposure to high levels of electromagnetic radiation in order to maintain optimal health.
When you use an induction hob, it emits high levels of EMF radiation into the kitchen. This is the case with any electrical heater.
Studies have shown that most modern induction hobs emit electromagnetic radiation that exceeds the maximum limits set by the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) in 1998.
The Importance of Distance
Apart from the fact that an induction cooktop would emit these harmful levels of EMF radiation, you need to know how far you are from the hob. The closer you are to the stove, which should be fairly close when cooking food, the more exposed you are to electromagnetic radiation.
Electromagnetic radiation decreases relatively quickly (and exponentially) with increasing distance.
When you touch the cooking pan, you are essentially part of the flow of energy already flowing through the pan to heat and cook the food. This is a bad thing because then you will receive any EMF radiation that flows through the plateau directly into your body.
The cooking pan conducts electromagnetic radiation, just like your body. As you can imagine, this makes it almost impossible to avoid exposure to electromagnetic radiation if you want to have an induction hob in your home.
The best thing you can do to stay safe is to avoid it altogether. This can mean opting for a home that doesn’t have an induction cooktop pre-installed, or replacing it with a safer alternative like natural gas or a traditional electric cooktop if you already have one.
These options may not be as energy-efficient as an induction hob, but they are much better for your overall safety and health in the long run.
Are There any Health Risks Associated with Induction Cooking?
Electromagnetic radiation can cause a wide variety of symptoms and negative health effects.
One of the most important things to notice while using an induction hob is the symptoms of hand discomfort. You may hold the panhandle when cooking on an induction hob. They, therefore, connect the circuit of electromagnetic energy that circulates from the stove through the cooking pan.
As you absorb this energy through your hand, you may experience a tingling sensation or pain, particularly in people who are more sensitive to electromagnetic radiation.
The symptoms people experience when exposed to electromagnetic radiation are very real and can be experienced by anyone, but especially those who are more sensitive to frequencies.
Long-term exposure to EMF radiation can damage tissues and nerves in the hands. Also, it can cause major damage to other important systems in the body.
The pain and tingling in your hand can cause further damage if the problem is not corrected and protective measures are not taken.
Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation on the Nervous System
The effects of electromagnetic radiation on the nervous system have since the 1950s been studied. Electromagnetic radiation has effects on the central nervous system (CNS), nerves, brain chemistry, etc.
Some scientific studies have shown that exposure to EMFs can damage nerve tissue, and in certain instances, the damage can be irreversible.
Whether the damage was chronic or acute, depended on several factors, including the duration of the electromagnetic radiation exposure and its intensity.
Also, electromagnetic radiation can have a major impact on many other systems in the body, including eyesight, the cardiovascular system, the reproductive system, and the immune system.
As many of us know, a weakened immune system can contribute to the development of many types of health problems. For this reason, it is important to understand how induction stoves work and why they can pose a serious risk to your health.
When you take steps to reduce your exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted by induction hobs, you will have more control over your health and protect yourself and your family from the harmful health effects they can cause.
Does Induction Cause Cancer?
As we stated earlier, the induction cooker works on the concept of electromagnetic induction. The electric coil at the bottom of the stove induces a magnetic field that heats the pot, which must be ferromagnetic.
Most of this EMF field passes through the closed circuit between the hob and the bottom of the cookware. However, a small stray field is created, the intensity of which depends on the size of the bottom of the utensil. Can this cause any damage?
The Danger of Constant Exposure
No mechanism has been identified by which ELF-EMF or RF radiation can cause cancer. In contrast to ionizing (high-energy) radiation, electromagnetic fields in the non-ionizing part of the EMF spectrum cannot directly damage DNA.
However, constant exposure to powerful non-ionizing electromagnetic fields, such as in a power transformer, can cause cancer. Workers in these occupations have a higher prevalence of certain types of cancer such as leukemia.
However, the induction cooker is much weaker than a transformer, even weaker than a microwave. Can it affect a healthy individual significantly?
Since electromagnetic fields become exponentially weaker with increasing distance, this can be dangerous for pregnant women (when the fetus is very close to the induction cooktop) and small children. But we’re more likely to get cancer from the soot produced by gas stoves.
How to Deal with EMF Radiation from Induction Cooktops
Now, you might be wondering what to do if you already own an induction stove. Perhaps one was installed in your home before, or one was installed before you were aware of the potential health risks. Although induction hobs emit electromagnetic radiation, it certainly shouldn’t be your main concern.
If you are concerned about electromagnetic radiation, which you should be, you should find ways to reduce your exposure to things like cell phones, Wi-Fi, 5G, and more.
Protect Your Home from EMF
While induction stovetops are a concern, there are many other sources of EMF in your home that are also a cause for concern. Fortunately, there are many options to protect yourself and your family.
The GeoClense: EMF and Earth Radiation Harmoniser consistently generates healthy and beneficial Negative ions that neutralize your entire property and home all the way to its boundaries. The Geoclense is able to counteract destructive energies such as radiation and electromagnetic frequencies.
The Geoclense® is a healthy, negative charge resonance field generator designed to balance the noxious, unhealthy positive charge resonance created by 5G and all forms of EMR, RF, Wi-Fi, Earth Radiation, and Bioplasmic Radiation.
Protect Your Body from EMF
Protecting your home is important, but protecting your body is essential. This is why we also suggest protection for yourself while on the go. We have many options to keep your body safe from our Quantum Orgone Pendants, Ener-bands and even our Orgone Car EMF Harmonizer. No matter your lifestyle, we have options to keep you protected when on the go.
Should I Get Rid of My Induction Cooktop?
It is not always possible to remove or replace your induction cooktop, economically or otherwise. Fortunately, there are still ways to reduce the risk of exposure during use.
The first thing that can be done to protect yourself and your family is to cook with a pot or pan that is larger than the cooking area. This will help reduce the likelihood of EMF fields being emitted from the cooktop around the pot.
In this case, the EMF fields can enter the kitchen and eventually be absorbed by the body. If you use a large enough pan, the electromagnetic fields shouldn’t be able to escape from the cooking area as a larger surface area is covered. You should also make sure that the pan or pot you are using is not warped or damaged in any way, as this will also allow EMF fields around the cooking area to escape.
Use Safer Cookware
It is safer to use cookware specially designed for induction cooking and labeled as such by the manufacturer.
These cookwares are designed to properly absorb EMF fields so your food can be heated without the fields escaping. (So far the pot is also large enough to cover the cooktop, as mentioned above.)
To minimize the amount of electromagnetic radiation the body absorbs, use the rear cooking zones instead of the front zones so that you can leave as much space between your body and the cooking zone as you can. The further you are from the cooking area, the less the body is exposed to EMF radiation.
Lastly, try not to use metal kitchen utensils. Metals are good conductors and can carry the current of the EMF field directly to the hand when cooking.
If you notice that the cooking pan you are using has a metal handle, try to cover it with a silicone sleeve or even using a silicone oven mitt while cooking.
It should also be helpful to hold the handle with a traditional kitchen towel. However, it is important to note that children and pregnant women or those dependent on pacemakers should completely avoid cooking with an induction stove. Electromagnetic radiation can be potentially harmful to people belonging to these vulnerable or sensitive groups.
By taking any of these precautions, you can limit your overall exposure to electromagnetic radiation given off by induction stoves. It is best to avoid moving to a location that already has an induction hob or will be installed if possible.
