Microwave CD Destruction

OK, I learned from a "133t h4x0r" about a year ago about how you can microwave CDs to destroy the data on them, and I've been using this method to dispose of CDs and DVDs before trashing the actual disks. 

Not saying I have any data that would be that valuable, but, how absolute is the destruction?  If, in theory, someone were to pickup one of my microwaved disks and pay ungodly sums of money for professional recovery services, would they be able to recover the data?

Also, how damaging is this to a microwave or my health?  I noticed a residue left on the glass turn table after frying several disks.  Is there possibly a health risk in using this same microwave for food?  Does this process in any way damage the microwave? 

OK, reason I'm asking all of this, I'm moving to a new place with a built in microwave, and debating selling my curent stand alone model.  Would I be better off just keepng the thing in my home office for CD destruction and leaving the stand alone one for food and less damaging activities than CD sizzling?

Don't microwave CDs or DVDs. They give off cyanide gas when you do so. If you want to securely dispose of the discs, just snap them. Depending on the brand, they either shatter or bend until they fatigue and break cleanly. Quite often the foil flakes off when you snap them too, so you can be sure nobody's getting any data back off them.

I'd be willing to bet microwaving a CD releases toxins into the air and also toxic residues in your microwave. Plus it stinks.

Why not just buy a CD shredder? Or just scrape off the metallic layer on the disc, turning it into just another plastic disc.

>>1 is a pedophile

so the data's in the foil? that's incredibly cheap...

Use a sandpaper machine to remove the foil. NSA approved. Paranoid-schizophrenic approved.

>>5
 The foil is the reflective layer the laser bounces off of or doesn't depending on how the bit it's reading is set. No foil, no data.

or do it the mythbusters way and build a machine to spin it so fast it shatters from the speed, that's better in that you can hurt people with it too. or go with the microwave if you've got an old MW that you wont use for food cooking, makes for a nice display :3