You're viewing a single thread.
Nuke it.
why do we do this? Is it an american thing?
Yes, from a general misunderstanding of how microwave ovens work, and what "radiation" was during the 1960s and 70s.
I think it's because microwaves use, well, microwave radiation
radiation exists in like everything to some small degree tho right?
The issue is the ambuguity in what someone intends when they just say radiation. It is valid to call any electromagnetic wave radiation. However, as for health concerns, what matters is "ionizing radiation." Microwaves are too low energy to be ionizing, so they don't match what most people think of when they say radiation with the implication of ionizing.
Canadian here. I also "nuke it".
That's what my house says too lol