Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) dissolved in ethylene glycol is subjected to microwave (MW) irradiation for 1 h to determine possible degradation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results show that MW treatment produces a minor effect on the solutions. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy suggests that PVA could undergoes loss of hydroxyl groups followed by formation of unsaturated conjugated bonds although the extent of degradation is limited, whereas size exclusion chromatography indicates that MW irradiation do not cause significant changes in PVA molar mass and neither chain cleavage nor crosslinking reactions are observed. Hence, polymer degradation induced by MWs in solution can be considered as negligible for prospective applications. (C) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 128: 175-180, 2013