{
  "id": "emitters:microwave-oven",
  "collection": "emitters",
  "slug": "microwave-oven",
  "name": "Microwave oven",
  "summary": "The only consumer appliance with its own federal leakage standard: 5 mW/cm² at 5 cm from the surface over the product's lifetime, which is 50,000,000 µW/m² — high compared with any communications source.",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "aliases": [
      "microwave leakage"
    ],
    "category": "radiofrequency",
    "environment": [
      "home",
      "workplace"
    ],
    "bands": [
      {
        "label": "2.45 GHz ISM",
        "minHz": 2400000000,
        "maxHz": 2500000000
      }
    ],
    "transmitPower": {
      "quantity": "power",
      "unit": "W EIRP",
      "value": 1000,
      "basis": "regulatory",
      "note": "Cavity magnetron output is roughly 700–1200 W, contained by the cavity and door screen; the regulated quantity is leakage, not output.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "fda-microwave",
        "fcc-part18"
      ]
    },
    "dutyCycle": "Only while cooking. Older or damaged door seals and hinges are the usual cause of elevated leakage.",
    "distanceProfile": [
      {
        "meters": 0.05,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "power-density",
          "unit": "µW/m²",
          "value": 50000000,
          "basis": "regulatory",
          "note": "FDA limit for leakage over the lifetime of the oven: 5 mW/cm² at 5 cm. New ovens are required to be below 1 mW/cm² at 5 cm. Well-maintained ovens typically measure far below both.",
          "sourceIds": [
            "fda-1030-10",
            "fda-microwave"
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "meters": 1,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "power-density",
          "unit": "µW/m²",
          "value": 125000,
          "basis": "computed",
          "method": "Inverse-square scaling of the 5 cm FDA leakage limit to 1 m (factor of 400).",
          "note": "Upper bound implied by the leakage limit, not a typical measurement.",
          "sourceIds": [
            "fda-1030-10",
            "itu-fs-relations"
          ]
        }
      }
    ],
    "mitigations": [
      {
        "action": "Stand back a metre or more while the oven runs rather than watching through the door.",
        "effect": "Leakage falls with the square of distance, and the limit is defined at only 5 cm.",
        "sourceIds": [
          "fda-microwave"
        ]
      },
      {
        "action": "Check the door seal, hinges and latch; replace ovens with visible door damage.",
        "effect": "Door integrity is the dominant variable in leakage measurements.",
        "sourceIds": [
          "fda-microwave"
        ]
      },
      {
        "action": "Measure at 5 cm around the door perimeter with an RF meter that reads up to at least 20 mW/m².",
        "effect": "Most consumer RF meters saturate near a running microwave; check the meter's range before concluding."
      }
    ],
    "measureWith": [
      "broadband-rf-meter",
      "microwave-leakage-tester"
    ],
    "related": [
      "quantities:power-density"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "fda-1030-10",
      "title": "21 CFR 1030.10 — Microwave ovens (radiation emission performance standard)",
      "publisher": "U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR)",
      "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/chapter-I/subchapter-J/part-1030/section-1030.10",
      "kind": "regulation",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "fda-microwave",
      "title": "Microwave Ovens",
      "publisher": "U.S. Food and Drug Administration",
      "url": "https://www.fda.gov/radiation-emitting-products/resources-you-radiation-emitting-products/microwave-oven-radiation",
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "fcc-part18",
      "title": "47 CFR Part 18 — Industrial, Scientific, and Medical Equipment (includes microwave ovens)",
      "publisher": "U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR)",
      "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/part-18",
      "kind": "regulation",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters/microwave-oven",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/microwave-oven",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/microwave-oven.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters"
  }
}