A 26-year old decided to have a cup of coffee. He took a cup of water
and put it in the microwave to heat it up (something that he had done
numerous times before). I am not sure how long he set the timer for, but
he told me he wanted to bring the water to a boil. When the timer shut
the oven off, he removed the cup from the oven. As he looked into the
cup, he noted that the water was not boiling, but instantly the water in
the cup "blew up" into his face. The cup remained intact until he threw
it out of his hand but all the water had flown out into his face due to
the build up of energy. His whole face is blistered and he has 1st and
2nd degree burns to his face, which may leave scarring. He also may have
lost partial sight in his left eye. While at the hospital, the doctor
who was attending to him stated that this is fairly common occurrence
and water (alone) should never be heated in a microwave oven. If water
is heated in this manner, something should be placed in the cup to
diffuse the energy such as: a wooden stir stick, tea bag, etc. It is
however a much safer choice to boil the water in a teakettle.
General Electric's (GE) response:
Thanks for contacting us. I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail that
you received is correct. Micro waved water and other liquids do not
always bubble when they reach the boiling point. They can actually get
superheated and not bubble at all. The superheated liquid will bubble up
out of the cup when it is moved or when something like a spoon or tea
bag is put into it. To prevent this from happening and causing injury,
do not heat any liquid for more than two minutes per cup. After heating,
let the cup stand in the microwave for thirty seconds before moving it
or adding anything into it.
If you pass this on ... you could very well save someone from a lot of
pain and suffering.
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