Safety of Induction Cooktops

[Mako]

Shopping for a new stove. My wife and I are researching gas vs induction and want to replace our horrible electric-resistance range.

We've owned and enjoyed both gas and induction and have a single burner induction in our garage "wet kitchen" currently. But during my Googling I came across the below article, which I initially wrote off as being authored by some kook: https://emfacademy.com/induction-cooktop-radiation/

However, there was one passage which caught my attention:

The symptoms that people experience when exposed to EMF radiation are very real and can be felt by anyone, but particularly those that are more sensitive to the frequencies.

EMF radiation can cause nerve and tissue damage in the hands when exposed to over an extended period of time. It can also cause damage to other important systems within the body at high levels.

The pain and tingling sensation that you experience in your hand can progress into further damage if the issue is not addressed and protective measures aren’t put into place.​

So there was an incident a couple years ago, boiling in a saucepan on the induction, and I put my finger in the water to feel the temperature, just briefly. Wasn't hot yet. However, I had a tingling and then slight numbness in my finger for days following.

Hence the reason for this thread. Wondering if anyone here has knowledge of this subject.

 

[FWT]

Following this discussion. I have spec'ed an induction cooktop for my new build, so I need to know.

Your question sent me on a hunt. The short answer I find is, its fine but there are things you can do to improve safety: 1) rubber or other non-conductive handles on the pots and pans. 2) Don't use metal cooking utensils, to conduct energy from the dish into the body.

I guess it becomes like a lot of other things. Radar is fine but don't put your head tight against it when its on. Gas is fine but be alert to leaks and fumes. And so forth.

https://www.shieldyourbody.com/induction-cooktop-emf/?billing_country=EU

https://apreparedkitchen.com/induction-cooking-safe/

 

[Mako]

I think you're right @FWT. No need to be alarmist, just commonsense safety precautions, like having gas leak detectors.

 

[johnrupp]

I have a portable counter top model that cautions use if anyone around it has a pacemaker.

John

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Haven't looked too far into this, but the article cited seems bogus.

"This means that when you touch the pan, you become part of the circuit. And the same EMF that heats the pan starts flowing through your body."

Clearly the author doesn't understand EMF if he/she thinks that touching something heated by EMF causes an electro-magnetic field to flow through your body. And if you are holding hands with somebody, it flows through their body as well? And on and on?

It appears that there was a study that found this mystery flowing effect, but it has never been replicated. Also, if you worry about the health effects of invisible magnetic fields flowing 24/7, don't think about your boat's compass. Or the electro-magnetic pulses generated (and received) by your VHF.

My safety regimen is to not sit on an induction burner when I Take Geritol for Iron Poor Blood. For you kids, Geritol was taken off the market in the 1970's after an F.T.C. order.

 

[FWT]

I have a portable counter top model that cautions use if anyone around it has a pacemaker.

John

Seems to me household microwaves carry the same caution. Which we all ignore like the warning tags on new pillows.

 

[Hippocampus]

The induction field follows the inverse square law. The field is distorted by conductors. Same for light, microwave or SSB. And it’s not a focused beam like laser or radar. Hence distance creates safety. With microwaves there’s material in the door and box so your exposure is minuscule and proper use isn’t a health risk. Would think with extensive use and especially misuse conduction cooking could present a risk. However, with a minimum of attention and good habits wouldn’t get overwrought. Still, putting a pot to boil then walking away means trivial exposure and doing a stir fry means more but you’re not a professional chef in front of thing all day.
Understand there’s a logic to not wanting multiple different fuels on a boat. To date been stuck with diesel, petrol and propane. However don’t like induction as a sole mechanism to cook. Between the grill, microwave, hot plate and stove have redundancy. Also don’t like using anymore electrons than I have to. Down stream requirements for batteries and production doesn’t appeal. At anchor prefer good ventilation so less AC, having panels sufficient for daily needs and fewer genset runs.

 

[gsholz]

Electromagnetic radiation is all around us. Radiation has three effects: 1) surface warming (jiggling of atoms/molecules), 2) ionizing molecules (knocking off electrons) and 3) magnetic induction (inducing eddy currents).

Radiation is quantized (photons). Below ultraviolet, radiation only warms by jiggling molecules (e.g. microwave, radar) or inducing eddy currents. Ultraviolet and above (e.g. Xrays, cosmic rays) will ionize tissue, i.e. may potentially damage cells and DNA. That is the primary concern with radiation.

The energy of radiation (photon) is proportional to its frequency. Light and above is very high frequency (10^15 Hz), utility power very low (60/50Hz), i.e. 15 orders of magnitude lower. It takes a certain level of energy for a photon (>10^15 Hz) to knock off an electron. Quantity of photons does not matter.

Induction at 60 Hz is completely harmless as long as you do not touch hot metal. E.g. there are a lot of photons but of very low energy. Induction heating works by inducing eddy currents into the object to be heated. Dissipation of the eddy currents creates the heating of the pot. You can hold your hand above an induction burner and will feel nothing.

 

[Kahala]

We have an induction cooktop and a steam oven, and no problems with either ever.

 

[PaintMeRetired]

Haven't looked too far into this, but the article cited seems bogus.

"This means that when you touch the pan, you become part of the circuit. And the same EMF that heats the pan starts flowing through your body."

Clearly the author doesn't understand EMF if he/she thinks that touching something heated by EMF causes an electro-magnetic field to flow through your body. And if you are holding hands with somebody, it flows through their body as well? And on and on?

It appears that there was a study that found this mystery flowing effect, but it has never been replicated. Also, if you worry about the health effects of invisible magnetic fields flowing 24/7, don't think about your boat's compass. Or the electro-magnetic pulses generated (and received) by your VHF.

My safety regimen is to not sit on an induction burner when I Take Geritol for Iron Poor Blood. For you kids, Geritol was taken off the market in the 1970's after an F.T.C. order.

Thanks Marco and very well said. That dude needs to worry about the antenna in his cell phone a lot more than an inductive coil in a cooktop.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Do NOT look into the laser with your remaining good eye!

 

[hmason]

My wife just received a pair of Asics tennis shoes that she ordered online. It came with a warning label “Not to be worn in extreme heat.” I’m dead serious. We live in FL. I’ll take my chances with induction.

 

[Moonfish]

Mako - Don't know how big your boat is, but Wallas makes an interesting "induction-style" diesel cooktop/heater:

https://scanmarineusa.com/products/stoves/wallas-nordic-dt-diesel-stove-heater/

Know a guy that has one on a Taiwan 32-foot trawler. He loves it for both heating and cooking (and a single fuel source).

 

[Hippocampus]

Looks like a wonderful design but has nothing to do with induction.

 

[Mako]

Well I reminded my wife that although induction cooktops are safe, we still need to be careful like with anything else. Stay a foot away (which is a normal cooking distance anyway), don't grab the metal handle of a pot (they're hot anyway)... but use wood or plastic utensils. That's probably the only thing different.

However, it did freak me out when I had that tingling in my finger for several days after dipping into the water. It's like I was cooking my finger from the inside.

Kids, don't try this at home

 

[Hippocampus]

This thread fundamentally is about relative risk
From wiki
The relative risk (RR) or risk ratio is the ratio of the probability of an outcome in an exposed group to the probability of an outcome in an unexposed group. Together with risk difference and odds ratio, relative risk measures the association between the exposure and the outcome.


Lack of appreciation that being alive engenders risk has lead to marked distortions of our society. This has resulted in varied and absurd outcomes. My opinion with examples told to me. My local town HS hockey team bought helmets at 1/2 price from Canada due to product liability expenses included in the US licensed helmets. Same exact helmets but the team was not allowed to use them after a parent saw the absence of the US licensure. Tort Med mal is so pervasive in Arkansas that physicians choose to practice elsewhere. Pantaenius divides into two companies. One the world, the other the US in a unsuccessful attempt to limit liability exposure. Then basically withdraws from the US market.
Due to the public being unaccepting life carries risk soft costs for any productive activity be it manufacturing, service or construction increasingly places a cost burden on society. Yes the legal industry benefits and our politics is distorted. RR death from vaccination is ~ 1 in 4m. Attributable risk from induction cooking is negligible. But off we go. If presented in simple terms what the RR is for certain activities the huge drain of exorbitant soft costs could be curtailed. If you take this you risk is X. If you don’t your risk is Y. If you use this your risk is X. The risk in non users is Y. In my life I’ve ridden motorcycles, rock climbed, ocean sailed, skied, and enjoyed. It’s my personal responsibility to judge if risk/benefit is worth it. End of rant.

 

[Mako]

@Hippo, appreciate your rant as your posts are always quite interesting

Yes, we will continue to use our single induction cooktop, but still not sure if we'd go full-electrical on the main stove.

In any case, if you or someone else here would like to help out, please stick your finger in a pot of water (before it gets too hot) and let me know if anyone experiences the "tingling finger" sensation.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. M. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Electromagnetic-Radiation-Detectors-EMF-Project-BLACK-Paranormal-Portable-BGD0020-Magnetic-Field-Anti-radiation-Tester/235286522?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=13763&adid=22222222222432433969&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=s&wl2=c&wl3=74423334520665&wl4=pla-4578022867276500&wl5=&wl6=&wl7=&wl10=Walmart&wl11=Online&wl12=235286522_10000014221&wl14=home%20made%20radiation%20detector&veh=sem&msclkid=ab88cc905ba2190421e4ad0b99c7a279&gclid=ab88cc905ba2190421e4ad0b99c7a279&gclsrc=3p.ds


Throw it into a plastic bag. Put in pot of water. Turn power off and on...

 

[Marco Flamingo]

RT,

Your experiment reminded me of a YouTube video where somebody was showing the distance at which EMF could be detected from an induction burner. They laid a tape measure from the center of the burner and moved the meter along it's length, detecting EMF more than a foot away before it got weak. Yes, but they were moving the meter when held against a steel tape measure laying across the burner. What would be the result using a wooden yard stick? They didn't try that. And of course the meter never went to zero, as there is always ambient EMF (and maybe the house had WiFi).

Do you want induction to be safe or deadly. I can prove either.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. MF. I admit I was being, just a tad, facetious....That "device" can also be used for detecting paranormal forces as well.

 

[greatpapabear]

On another tack...

Will you run your planned induction from your generator? If so, check if the gennie's output is Hz controlled. Why? Many induction hubs have a very small Hz tolerance before shutting down.

So when using more pots on your hob and placing more power demand on the gennie, the gennie's Hz output may start to fall. Tends to happen more with older model gennies.

Worth checking.

 

[Finally Fun Again]

My first question would be WHY ELECTRIC? Requires always a generator to be able to cook (or shore power). As a former full time cruiser for 6+ years aboard our DeFever, rarely docking from throughout Canada down to Grenada and back, I love the freedom of never having to turn on the genny if I wanted a cup of coffee at 5 AM.......Propane works quietly all the time, is cheap and is available everywhere.....Just saying. Another comment: I have induction at home, absolutely love it (no gas available). Hubby has a fancy new to him 2021 pacemaker and after discussion with GE manufacturer and MD, induction stove stayed in the house BUT he is not allowed to cook! He can walk past the stove when something is cooking but he cannot stand there and cook.........So, bottom line, something is afoot with these things!

 

[Barrie]

Just threw out the original, slow electric stove that came with the boat. Never worked properly and it was a pain having to start the generator to make a cup of tea. Went back to propane which we had on other boats. Just installed a 3 burner ENO.
https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|2276179|2276204|2276205|2276211&id=1125554
Put in all the safety equipment and sniffers and auto shutoff.
Good luck with your decision.

 

[O C Diver]

My first question would be WHY ELECTRIC? Requires always a generator to be able to cook (or shore power). As a former full time cruiser for 6+ years aboard our DeFever, rarely docking from throughout Canada down to Grenada and back, I love the freedom of never having to turn on the genny if I wanted a cup of coffee at 5 AM.......Propane works quietly all the time, is cheap and is available everywhere.....Just saying.

While I don't own an induction hot plate, I'd be more likely to add one than switch the stove / cooktop to propane. I'm sure it would run off my pure sine wave inverter just as my Nespresso machine does. Nothing wrong with propane inside the boat...until it develops a leak.

Ted

 

[OldDan1943]

My wife just received a pair of Asics tennis shoes that she ordered online. It came with a warning label “Not to be worn in extreme heat.” I’m dead serious. We live in FL. I’ll take my chances with induction.

A very soft sole that will melt on hot pavement ???

I am reminded of the rumors and scary stories when microwaves first came out.
Of course I still dont recommend living under high voltage transmission lines.

 

[Hippocampus]

Will say there’s some places filling the propane bottles is an all day affair. Not a biggie as you make list of all the things that will require a car to get to or carry and knock them off all at once. Still adds to list (fuel, food, propane) of reasons to need to come into civilization.

 

[rslifkin]

Will say there’s some places filling the propane bottles is an all day affair. Not a biggie as you make list of all the things that will require a car to get to or carry and knock them off all at once. Still adds to list (fuel, food, propane) of reasons to need to come into civilization.

Agreed, it's one more thing on the list to deal with. For electric cooking, even if you can't do it with solar / battery and have to run a generator, you still get the advantage of one less fuel type to find, obtain, and keep track of as your cooking fuel is now the same as your propulsion fuel.

 

[PNK]

Is induction cooking safe

Mako,

Before I retired, the company I worked for manufactured commercial induction cooktops, among a wide range of products. They are generally safer than gas or electric cooktops, with the main drawback being the need for cooking pans of iron or steel; aluminum doesn't work.
I read the article you linked, and found it was pretty full of mis-leading information;
- all electric cooking appliances emit EMF, and induction doesn't emit more than the others. ( One of the posted replies had good common-sense precautions, which you are probably already practicing since you said you had used induction before.)
- the article said that induction cookers emit "high levels of EMF" which sounds scary. However, if you are a foot away, the levels of EMF become immaterial, and "High levels" doesn't mean anything by itself; you get far higher levels of EMF's from being in the sun, for instance. This distance factor is the same for electric and microwave cookers, by the way.
- the article also said that Induction works in the same way as microwave ovens, cooking food from the inside out, which is completely untrue. It is really just another way to apply heat - energy - to a pan, in a way that is more efficient and faster than traditional electric or gas units.

Sorry if I sound too preachy, but I have listened to stuff about EMF's from my middle son and daughter-in-law for years. When we rented a vacation house for the whole family a few years ago they asked us not to use the washer or dryer because they were concerned with EMF's.

If you have sufficient electric power, induction makes a lot of sense on a boat.

 

[Mako]

Agreed, and the simple discussion I had with my wife was to use common sense safety measures. With a gas stove you don't put your hand in the fire. Don't grab metal utensils, pot handles, etc., without a mitten. So for induction basically stand 1 foot away (natural cooking distance anyway).

She wants gas and induction both, in our house and boat.

I was concerned about what happened to my finger in the past, but learned a lesson not to stick my finger where it doesn't belong (oooh, this is going downhill fast )

 

[OldDan1943]

Do you use your finger to check a mouse trap?