OFFPRINT FROM
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Second enlarged edition 2002

RESTORING AND HEALING THE WORLD THROUGH RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMITMENT, IN ACCORD WITH NATURAL AND DIVINE LAW

MICROWAVECOOKING?
IT’S THE KISS OF DEATH!!
. . . . and, what is more, it’s A PROVEN RECIPE FOR CANCER!!

The World Foundation for Natural Science
World Headquarters
P.O. Drawer 16900
Washington, DC 20041, U.S.A.
Phone: (001) 703 631 1408
Fax: (001) 703 631 1919

Microwave Offprint English Final Cover Luzern address.pmd
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European Headquarters
Postfach 7995
CH-6000 Lucerne 7, Switzerland
Phone: (0041) 41 798 03 98
Fax: (0041) 41 798 03 99

25/06/2008, 12:32 PM

A RE M ICROWAVE O VENS A S OURCE OF D ANGER ?

Microwave Ovens:
A Hazard to Health

ALARMING RESULTS OF A SCIENTIFIC STUDY
Dr. Hans U. HertelBern, Switzerland

Electrosmog, nowadays globally widespread, is adeadly threat to life. The effects of electrosmog arestill greatly underestimated, for they occur insidiously,
and the consequences are not immediately recognizable. The connection between the electromagnetic
stress on an organism and a health impairment arisingfrom it remains a controversial issue in today’s
science. Moreover, strong economic interests are atstake which impede the discovery of the truth. For
several years now also microwave ovens, as well as
the food prepared in them, are suspected of being
hazardous to health and even causing cancer in caseof regular exposure.

M

ICROWAVE OVENS , like other electrical devices,

operate on alternating current whereby the socalled “magnetron,” the core of the oven, generates
microwaves which penetrate into the food and cause watermolecules within the food to vibrate at a frequency of approx.
2.45 GHz. This gives rise to friction, caused mainly by thehigh oscillation rate of the water molecules in the electromagnetic field. Materials containing moisture, such as foods,
absorb microwave energy and the friction produces heat
which then spreads towards the outer parts. By conventional
heating methods, such as on a cooking plate, the thermal
diffusion process is just the other way around. There theheat is dissipated from the outside inwards, corresponding
to a natural conduction of heat.[1]IS MICROWAVED FOOD A HAZARD TO HEALTH?
NTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, up to about 15 years ago there
were very few scientific studies carried out in the
U.S.A. and Europe on the safety of microwave ovens,
although they have already been on the market for around40 years. Meanwhile it is known that microwaved foodundergoes certain changes, including physical and chemical
modifications thus reducing their bioavailability. In order tofind out if microwaved food could possibly be detrimental tohealth, the author approached the University of Lausanne,
Switzerland, at the end of the 1980s proposing they shouldmake a joint scientific investigation on this matter. However,the Swiss National Fund turned down the request foreconomic support stating there was no necessity for researchin this field. Not wishing to abandon the project completely,I

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the decision was taken to carry it out on a much reduced
scale and to finance it privately.
A summary of the original research findings [2] waspublished in 1992 in raum&zeit [3] and in the Journal Franz
Weber [4] . Without any consideration for the overall
statements the paper was dismissed as being unscientificand the results were questioned. The author, however, isstill of the firm conviction that microwave radiation andmicrowaved food causes cancer—despite being subjected
to pressure.

S CIENTIFIC R ESEARCH ON THE S UBJECTHE STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT under strict testing conditions with a small group of carefully chosen voluntary test persons (five women, three men, 20 to 35
years old; one member of the team in charge of the experiment, 61 years old). During the time the test was carriedout the test persons lived for about two months in a Swiss
health resort and kept to a strict macrobiotic diet. They
avoided any kind of stress during this period in order not
to distort the results of the experiment.
Every two to five days they were given raw or cooked
food on an empty stomach—milk and various vegetables
that had either been cooked conventionally or defrosted or
cooked in a microwave oven. It was a blind test where thetest persons did not know how the food had been prepared.
The test was carried out with the following foodstuffs:
X fresh untreated milk from organic farmers
X fresh untreated milk from organic farmers, heatedconventionally
X pasteurized milk from Intermilch Bern, heated in a
microwave oven
X raw vegetables (carrots and fennel) from organic farmers
X vegetables from organic farmers, cooked conventionally
X frozen vegetables from organic farmers, defrosted in a
microwave oven
X vegetables from organic farmers, cooked in a microwave
oven
Directly preceding and then 15 minutes and 120 minutes
after food intake, blood samples were taken from the test
persons and different parameters were analyzed. The
hematological analysis followed immediately after drawing
the samples. After natural sedimentation the serum was
subjected to several vital energy tests in the course of thesame day.
The following parameters were analyzed (Table 1) : thenumber of erythrocytes (red blood corpuscles), the hemoglobin level (red blood pigment), the hematocrit (thenumber of cellular particles in the total blood volume),
the number of leukocytes (white corpuscles), the numberof lymphocytes (minute white corpuscles), and the cholesterol level, specifically the HDL concentration (highdensity lipoproteins).

T

7

A RE MTICROWAVEO VENSS OURCEOF D ANGER ?
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ATURALS CIENCE

MILK

VEGETABLES

raw

conventionallycookedRed blood cells

–

0

0

Hemoglobin–

0

Hematocrit– – –Leukocytesrawconventionallycooked

0

0

0

+

0

0

– – –

0

0

0

– – –

0

0

0

0

0

+++

+

0

0

0

+

0

0

+

+

Lymphocytes

–

0

0

0

0

0

–

–

Cholesterol

– – –

0

0

0

0

0

+++

+++

indir. past. microwavenot
cookedhomogen.

A LARMING F INDINGSIN THE COURSE OF THE STUDY it became evident thatmicrowaved food had a definite influence on the bloodof the test persons: the hemoglobin level decreased
significantly after an intake of microwaved food (Fig.1) andthe hematocrit increased after consumption of vegetables
defrosted or cooked in a microwave oven (Fig.2).
After each food intake the leukocyte values (Fig.3) andthe HDL values were found to be increased. Contrary to
expectations fresh untreated milk caused a significant
decrease in the cholesterol level. After an intake of food outof the microwave oven the number of leukocytes showed amicrowave microwavedefrosted
cookedmore distinct temporary decrease than after eating all theother variations of food.
On the other hand, raw or conventionally cooked food,with the exception of fresh milk, caused no changes in the
blood count. Stress is always accompanied by a greater orsmaller increase in the number of leukocytes. Even consumption of healthy food can mean short term stress forthe body. The tests carried out on the test persons who
consumed microwaved food showed, however, distinctly
higher values than for those who had eaten conventionallyprepared food.

Change of Hematocrit(Vol.% erythrocytes/100 ml blood)

Change of Hemoglobinin blood of test persons after a single intake of raw,
conventionally cooked, and microwaved food(g/dl)

in blood of test persons after a single intake of raw,
conventionally cooked, and microwaved foodDev. in %conventionalraw

Dev. in %microwave

raw

microwave

conventional

Before food intake

after 15 min.

after 120 min.

Before food intake

after 15 min.

after 120 min.

Fig.1: Significant reduction of the hemoglobin level of blood
after consumption of conventionally cooked, microwaved
and food eaten raw, measured each time before foodintake, and both 15 and 120 minutes later.

Fig.2: Hematocrit value before and both 15 and 120 minutes
after consumption of microwaved, raw or conventionallycooked food. Whilst raw and conventionally heated food
reduced the hematocrit in a 120 minutes period, there
was an increase after consumption of microwaved food.

8

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A RE M ICROWAVE O VENS A S OURCE OF D ANGER ?

Change of Leukocytes(1000 per mm 3)

in blood of test persons after a single intake of raw,
conventionally cooked, and microwaved foodDev. in %microwave

raw
conventional

Before food intake

after 15 min.

after 120 min.

Fig.3: Increase in number of leukocytes both 15 and 120 minutes
after intake of conventionally cooked, raw or microwaved
food. Highest increase after consumption of food preparedin a microwave oven.

The number of red blood corpuscles remained unchanged
except for a tendency to an increase after eating vegetables
defrosted in a microwave oven. The stress situation did
not apparently last long enough to bring about a mobilization of red corpuscles out of the reserve depots. The
cholesterol level, especially the level of HDL lipoproteins,
increased significantly after an intake of microwaved
vegetables. (Fig.4)

Change of Cholesterol HDL(mmol/l)in blood of test persons after a single intake of raw,
conventionally cooked, and microwaved foodDev. in %microwave

conventionalin the cholesterol level, while vegetables, defrosted or cooked
in a microwave oven, led to a significant rise in lipoproteins(HDL). This is apparently a stress reaction of the organism
responding to the radiation the food underwent.

THE EFFECTS OF MICROWAVE RADIATION ENERGY?

I

T HAS BEEN PROVEN that microwaves damage thestructure of the food while it is still in the microwave
oven. But what effect does microwave energy itself
actually have? Does the microwave energy accumulate in
the food, and does it pass from the food into the blood?
Vital energy tests on the blood serum were conducted toprovide answers to these questions. The importance of
this matter becomes especially clear when we consider that
all functions of a living body are dependent on its energybalance. The energy which allows a body to maintain andcontrol its functions is derived from sunlight, and isabsorbed directly from the sun’s rays as well as indirectly,
i.e. by means of food. If this energy is changed, such as in
the case of microwave radiation, then it retains its destructive quality in the food and consequently in the blood of
the body that consumed it. The problem then lies not onlyin the fact that the destructive energy remains hazardous
in the food, but also that it damages the body afterwards
in the same way.
Using a bioluminescence method it was possible to detectand measure the transfer of microwave energy into the blood
via food. In order to do so a standardized suspension of
luminous bacteria was added to diluted milk, diluted
vegetable juices and serum samples, and every stimulation
or inhibition of the luminosity was measured. Figure 5 showsthat a temporary increase in energy in the blood serum
occurred with a food intake. The absorption rate resulting
from microwaved food was, however, in every single test
case higher and lasted longer than with food that had notbeen exposed to microwaves.

Transfer of Microwave Energy
via Vegetables into Blood

raw

after 15 min.

after 120 min.

This is especially interesting since vegetables, in contrast
to fresh milk, contain as little as no cholesterol. The question
poses itself why the cholesterol level of the blood is increased
after an intake of microwaved vegetables, whilst it decreased—in fact significantly—after drinking fresh milk. The cholesterollevel of the blood is indeed much less dependent on the
consumption of fat in foodstuffs than has so far been supposed
and has been maintained for decades by the margarine
producers. In a healthy organism there is an interchange
between the cholesterol taken in by foodstuffs, the decomposition of cholesterol and the cholesterol synthesis, so thatthe blood’s cholesterol level is kept in balance. Stress, however,raises the cholesterol level temporarily. The tests revealed thatraw and conventionally cooked vegetables caused no change
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Determined by the luminous power of luminescentbacteria feeding on serum of test persons

microwave% of originalluminous power

Before food intake

Fig.4: Change in HDL concentration measured both 15 and120 minutes after intake of raw, conventionally cookedor microwaved food. Significant increase after consumption of microwaved vegetables.

raw
conventional

Before food intake

after 15 min.

after 120 min.

Fig.5: Absorption of energy from raw vegetables, conventionallycooked vegetables, and vegetables exposed to microwaves.
Measurements of bioluminosity of luminous bacteria before
and both 15 and 120 minutes after consumption. 15 minutes
after food intake the luminous reaction increased in all samples.
At testing time 120 minutes a further increase in luminosity
was registered in the serum of test persons who had consumed microwaved food, whereas a decrease was evident
after consumption of raw or conventionally cooked food.

9A RE MTICROWAVEO VENSS OURCEOF D ANGER ?
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Are Microwave
Ovens Exempt
from Criticism?

WHAT D OES THE S TUDY IMPLY?

AS PART OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, the blood reacts ex-tremely fast and sensitively to stress in the organism, whether it is of a physical or psychologicalnature. It was realistic to presume that microwaved food
could have an effect on blood. In the course of the study it
became evident that food cooked or defrosted in a microwave
oven leads to recognizable tendencies and even to significant
reactions of the blood, although the stress was relatively
slight and only effective for a short time, since the food wasconsumed only once per person in order not to endanger thehealth of the test persons. The results would certainly havebeen considerably more distinct if the test persons had been
given microwaved food a few weeks longer. The objective of
the study was to determine whether a change of quality
would take place in the blood at all under the influence of
microwaved food, and not primarily to what extent this would
be the case. The measured effects of microwaved food on
the human organism, compared with non-irradiated food,led to changes in the blood of test persons indicating an
early pathological process, just as is the case in the beginningof a cancerous process.
In addition, direct changes were evaluated in microwaved
milk. The protein stability got overstrained after irradiation.
Milk becomes denatured when microwaved, and it coagulates to such an extent that it can no longer be properly
digested. Yet microwaved milk does not only lose food value,
but it also becomes toxic. A decrease in the folic acid of themilk was discovered. Folic acid is a vitamin of the B groupand is essential for hematopoiesis. The analysis of the milk
proved an increased acidity after exposure to microwaves.
Acidity, nowadays a general problem also in nature, is asignal for a pathological process. It should be taken more
seriously than is currently the case, for there will be no
survival on this planet if the balance is not restored.
The results of the study suggest that technically generated energy, such as microwave energy, can be transferred
inductively to the human body by means of microwaved
food. It is easily imaginable what would happen in a humanbody if such energy were absorbed over a long time period.
The immune system would sooner or later be weakened
and even break down. If that happens it only takes anadditional physical or psychological shock for a latent
cancerous process to develop into an acute stage.
The results of this short term study carried out on asmall scale are alarming enough to be a warning for
consumers, scientists, and doctors. The author would bepleased if his work had laid a foundation for further investigations on this subject.

O

N 19 M ARCH 1993 the Canton Bern Commer-

cial Court—following a complaint filed by the
Swiss Association of Dealers for Electroapparatuses for Households and Industry (FEA)—sentenced thescientist Dr. H. U. Hertel:“1. The defendant is prohibited, under punishmentof up to 5000 Swiss francs, or up to one year inprison (Art. 292 StGB and Art. 403 ZPO), to declarethat food prepared in microwave ovens is dangerous
to health and may lead to pathological changes inthe blood as also indicative for the beginning of acancerous process;2. The defendant is also prohibited, under thesame punishment, to use symbols of death or othersymbols to this end in connection with microwave
ovens.”The Swiss Federal Court in Lausanne confirmed thisverdict on 25 February 1994.

U NFAIR C OMPETITION ?

THE SWISS FEDERAL COURT bases its verdict on the law

on Unfair Competition. This law concerning unfair
competition can be breached when a person uttersdiscriminating, untrue, misleading and unnecessarily harming
statements against a supplier or his products (Art. 3 lit. a
UWG). While, before the amendment of this law, a person
could only be prosecuted for unfair competition when he
was also a competitor, today’s law applies to everybody.
The Federal Court is not even interested in whether there isan intention behind it and whether it really conflicts withcompetition. It suffices if an utterance could possibly havean influence on competition.

T HE S WORD OF D AMOCLESH ANGING O VER THE P RESSREFERENCES[1] WILD, M. (1998): ARE MICROWAVE OVENS A SOURCE OF DANGER?—THE JOURNAL OF
NATURAL SCIENCE, VOL. 1, NO. 2: 37-42.
[2] BLANC, B. H. / HERTEL, H. U. (1992): COMPARATIVE STUDY ABOUT THE INFLUENCE ON
MAN BY FOOD PREPARED CONVENTIONALLY AND IN THE MICROWAVE-OVEN.
[3] BLANC, B. H. / HERTEL, H. U. (1992): HÄNDE WEG VOM MIKROWELLENHERD!—RAUM&ZEIT
SPECIAL NR. 6, EHLERS, SAUERLACH.
[4] HERTEL, H. U. (1992): VERGLEICHENDE UNTERSUCHUNGEN ÜBER DIE BEEINFLUSSUNG
DES MENSCHEN DURCH KONVENTIONELL UND IM MIKROWELLENOFEN AUFBEREITETE
NAHRUNG.—JOURNAL FRANZ WEBER NO. 19: 5-10.

HIS KIND OF F EDERAL JUDGEMENT has lead to an
unbearable uncertainty in the Swiss press. Any criticism on anything like a product can immediately
involve prosecution. The freedom of speech in Switzerland,
which is talked of so highly everywhere, is being sacrificed
on the altar of market economy and its managers. A numberof journalists were condemned, because of criticizing the
economy; recently the Kassensturz of the Swiss Television
was also sentenced to pay a fine of more than half a million
Swiss francs to a pharmaceutical company.

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