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Monday, May 01, 2006
11:50 AM
A 26-year old guy 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). His goal was 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 tea kettle.
General Electric's response:
Thanks for contacting us. I will be happy to assist you. The e-mail that you
received is correct. Microwaved 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.
Now you know.
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