Be carefull Microwave Users

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 tea kettle.

General Electric's (GE) 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.

If you pass this on, you could very well save someone

from a lot of pain and suffering.