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:
I will be happy to assist you.
Microwaved water and other liquids do not always bubble when they reach
the boiling point.
They can actually get super-heated and not bubble at all.
The super-heated 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.
