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Cutaneous microwave injury. A report of two cases.

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Brodkin RH, Bleiberg J · 1973

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A 1973 case report described two women who developed dystrophic fingernail changes after presumed exposure to a microwave oven.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This 1973 medical report documented two cases where women operating a microwave oven in a snack bar developed dystrophic fingernail changes after presumed microwave injury. The authors note that the biological effects of microwaves result primarily from the heating of tissues. They suggest that physicians be suspicious of exposure to microwaves in cases of nail plate dystrophies.

Why This Matters

This 1973 case report is an early medical description of cutaneous microwave injury; the authors state that cutaneous injury from the use of microwave ovens had not been previously reported. Microwave ovens were becoming increasingly common in commercial establishments and private homes. The fingernail findings are notable because the structures from which the nail plate originates lie beneath the skin surface, where microwaves can produce thermal injury that the person may not perceive as heat. In the first patient the nail changes improved gradually during six weeks of follow-up. The authors' recommendation that physicians be suspicious of exposure to microwaves in cases of nail plate dystrophies rests on the fact that two patients with the same exposure at the same time developed the same lesions.

Figures from the Original Paper

Diagram extracted from the original research document.

diagramPage 3 - Fingernail plates from Patients no. 1 and 2 showing varying degrees of transverse dystrophic ridging.
p. 3 of the original PDF
Cite This Study
Brodkin RH, Bleiberg J (1973). Cutaneous microwave injury. A report of two cases.
Show BibTeX
@article{cutaneous_microwave_injury_a_report_of_two_cases__g6722,
  author = {Brodkin RH and Bleiberg J},
  title = {Cutaneous microwave injury. A report of two cases.},
  year = {1973},
  
  
}
No DOI on file for this study.

Quick Questions About This Study

The report presents two cases of presumed microwave injury in which people developed dystrophic fingernail changes after working with a snack-bar microwave oven. The authors state that the biological effects of microwaves result primarily from the heating of tissues, and in the first patient the nails improved gradually over six weeks of follow-up.
Dystrophic nail changes are abnormal nail growth patterns. In these cases the nail plates showed transverse dystrophic ridging, and in one patient partial separation of the nail plate from the nail bed.
The authors state that cutaneous injury from the use of microwave ovens had not been previously reported.
Yes, the authors suggest that physicians be suspicious of exposure to microwaves in cases of nail plate dystrophies. They note that dermatologists might not be alerted to the possible association.
The structures from which the nail plate originates lie beneath the skin surface, and microwaves can produce thermal injury in deeper structures. The authors therefore considered the nail lesions compatible with the type of injury microwaves might produce.