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The Hidden Hazards Cooking Microwave Recent research shows that microwave oven- cooked food suffers severe molecular damage. When eaten, it causes abnormal changes in human blood and immune systems. Not surprisingly, the public has been denied details on these significant health dangers. ack in May of 1989, after Tom Valentine first moved to St Paul, Minnesota, he heard on the car radio a short announcement that bolted him upright in the dri- ver's seat, The announcement was sponsored by Young Families, the Minnesota Extension Service of the University of Minnesota: "Although microwaves heat food quickly, they are not recommended for heating a baby's bottle," the announcement said. The bottle may seem cool to the touch, but the liq- uid inside may become extremely hot and could burn the baby's mouth and throat. Also, the buildup of steam in a closed container such as a baby's bottle could cause it to explode. "Heating the bottle in a microwave can cause slight changes in the milk. In infant formulas, there may be a loss of some vitamins. In expressed breast milk, some protective properties may be destroyed." The report went on. "Warming a bottle by hold- ing it under tap water or by setting it in a bowl of warm water, then testing it on your wrist before feeding, may take a few minutes longer, but it is much safer.” Valentine asked himself: If an established institution like the University of Minnesota can warn about the loss of particular nutrient qualities in microwaved baby formula or mother's milk, then somebody must know something about microwaving they are not telling everybody. A LAWSUIT In early 1991, word leaked out about a lawsuit in Oklahoma. A woman named Norma Levitt had hip surgery, only to be killed by a simple blood transfusion when a nurse “warmed the blood for the transfusion in a microwave oven"! Logic suggests that if heating or cooking is all there is to it, then it doesn't matter what mode of heating technology one uses. However, it is quite apparent that there is more to ‘heating’ with microwaves than we've been led to believe. Blood for transfusions is routinely warmed—but not in microwave ovens! In the case of Mrs Levitt, the microwavingvaltered the blood and it killed her. Does it not therefore follow that this form of heating does, indeed, do ‘something differ- ent’ to the substances being heated? Is it not prudent to determine what that ‘something different’ might do? A funny thing happened on the way to the bank with all that microwave oven revenue: nobody thought about the obvious. Only ‘health nuts' who are constantly aware of the value of quality nutrition discerned a problem with the widespread ‘denaturing’ of our food. Enter Hans Hertel. HANS HERTEL In the tiny town of Wattenwil, near Basel in Switzerland, there lives a scientist who is alarmed at the lack of purity and naturalness in the many pursuits of modern mankind. He worked as a food scientist for several years with one of the many major Swiss food com- panies that do business on a global scale. A few years ago, he was fired from his job for questioning procedures in processing food because they denatured it, "The world needs our help," Hans Hertel told Tom Valentine as they shared a fine meal at a resort hotel in Todtmoss, Germany. "We, the scientists, carry the main responsibility for the present unacceptable condi- tions. It is therefore our job to correct the situation and bring the remedy to the world. I am striving to bring man and techniques back into harmony with nature. We can have wonderful technologies without violating nature." Hans is an intense man, driven by personal knowledge of violations of nature by corpo- by Tom Valentine Reprinted from the April 1994 edition of ' : Acres, USA PO Box 8800 Metairie, Louisiana 70011, USA Telephone: (504) 889 2100 Fax: (504) 889 2777 US$20.00 per 1-yr sub (within USA) US$23,00 per 1-yr sub (foreign) APRIL - MAY 1995 NEXUS © 25