When I am in front of the microwave ovens in the breakroom at work (which are at eye level) I can feel a small amount of heat outside the door. Sometimes I can feel it on my forehead, and I can feel it on my hands if I place them close to the front of the door when the microwave is running. There are six identical units and all of them do this.
My concern is, is the heat I am feeling just coming from the air inside the microwave (as I would feel from the heat of a conventional oven), or is this a direct result of microwaves leaking out and nuking my skin? If it’s the latter, how much danger could I be in? If it was due to leakage, what would it feel like if it’s not the minor heat that I can detect now?
It is the heat from the cooking food. Microwave ovens have fans that exhaust this hot air outside the oven.
There is no real danger of radiation leaking from a undamaged microwave oven. The waves are easily blocked by the door and metal enclosure. Also, the energy level rapidly decreases as you move away from the source.
It is interesting that the only thing in the window of a microwave oven is a metal screen with a very specifically spaced grid of holes. The spacing is such that it cuts the waves and renders them harmless. The glass is ordinary glass and alone would not block the microwaves.
If you are really concerned, contact the safety department at work. If you are really, really concerned, why are you standing so close while the microwave is operating?
They did remove one unit that was found to be leaking waves and replaced it. How this was detected, I don’t know. I usually stand close because, well, there really isn’t much else to do after I’ve grabbed my ice, soda, poured it into my ice-filled cup and chips from the vending machines. Usually, I stand off to the side of the microwave that is in operation.
FYI microwave radiation is not the turn you into a mutant kind of radiation (ionizing radiation).
If you get hit by microwaves you will start to heat up…same as sticking your hand in a normal oven would heat you up.
That is not to say you want to intentionally let yourself get zapped by microwaves. With an oven there is generally a delay to become aware you are starting to cook and remove yourself…microwaves can heat things up faster so could cause damage before you know to move if you get zapped hard enough.