Sorry, but this article is full of misinformation and made-up 'studies.' You have been had. It happens on the internet sometimes. ;) In 1940, by two scientists, Sir John Randall and Dr. H. A. Boot, invented a device called a magnetron to produce microwaves in their lab at England's Birmingham University. They were not in Russia at the time. Dr. Percy Spencer of Raytheon first used it for food cooking in 1946. They were sold mostly to restaurants and the military. They were huge. Tappan came out with the first home model in 1952. I was alive in 1976, and awake (most of the time), and don't remember hearing about the Soviet Union banning microwave ovens. Do you happen to have a more reliable source for that information? The study this person reports about Russia was on another site in much more detail, and included uses of microwaves for mind control. It didn't mention little green men giving microwaves to Hitler, but it was insane enough that it could have! Studies have actually found that microwaved food retains MORE of its vitamins and minerals than traditional cooking. The majority of reports published on the nutritive value of foods cooked in microwave ovens indicate that food prepared in this manner is at least as nutritious as comparable food cooked by conventional methods. Most of these studies have concentrated on vitamin retention and indicate that cooking in minimal water for a reduced time, as occurs with microwaving, promotes the retention of the water- soluble vitamins particularly of vitamin C and thiamin. Microwave cooking is preferable to boiling to minimise the leaching of vitamins into the cooking water; in this regard it is similar to steaming. Far less information is currently available on the effect of microwave cooking on other food components such as carbohydrates, lipids and fat-soluble vitamins. For the same reasons given for vitamin C, microwave cooking enhances mineral retention in vegetables. The quality of protein is higher in microwaved than in conventionally cooked food as far less oxidation occurs in meat cooked in a microwave. Lack of browning is visible evidence that heating is gentler, and makes it likely that vitamins A and E are better retained than in conventional cooking. However these differences are likely to be slight and of little nutritional significance. Reheating food quickly in a microwave retains more nutrients than holding food hot for long periods; this is significant in institutions and hospitals where food may be held hot for several hours in traditional catering systems. The nutritional value of food does not depend only on the way in which it is cooked. Just as important are shopping wisely for quality products, correct temperature control during storage and preparation and serving food promptly after it is prepared. Leaching effects aside there seems to be little difference to the retention of nutrients between food cooked by microwaves or by conventional means, providing cooking time and temperature guidelines are carefully followed. Microwaves and food Effect on food All food undergoes changes when heated; there is no solid evidence that microwaves cause any effect on food other than those due to rapid heating. Care should be taken to avoid overcooking. Radiation and food Food cooked in a microwave oven does not present a radiation risk. Microwaves cease to exist as soon as the power to the magnetron of a microwave oven is switched off. They do not remain in the food and are incapable of making either it or the oven radioactive. Chemical changes in foods Consumer concern has been caused by media coverage of isolated reports which suggest that microwave heating produces chemical changes in foods with the formation of potentially toxic compounds. The most widely reported of these was a letter which appeared in the reputable journal The Lancet in 1989. This work was reviewed by an expert committee of the National Health and Medical Research Council which concluded that the results obtained in the experiment were not relevant to the way food is prepared and consumed. A second more recent report in a little known Swiss journal also appears to be irrelevant to domestic use of microwave ovens. For more information on microwaves, visit the University of Virginia. Thank you for your concern, but I believe I'll keep my two microwaves. :) Denise