>From: "Peter McWilliams" <peter@mcwilliams.com>
>Subject: Microwave water boiling warning
>Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 20:27:23 -0800
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>
>  > I feel that the following is information that anyone who uses a microwave
>  > oven to heat water should be made aware of. About five days ago my
>  > 26-year old son decided to have a cup of instant 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 flew out into his face due to the buildup>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.
>  >
>  > At the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that this a
>  > 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. Please pass this information on to friends and family.
>  > (Mike J Tucker, Safety/Security Officer)
>  > ________
>  >
>  > This sounds like an urban legend but it isn't. The issue is that a very
>  > clean cup has no nucleation points to initiate the boiling, and the water
>  > can become superheated beyond the usual boiling point. If mechanically
>  > disturbed in this state, like inserting a spoon or adding your cocoa mix,
>  > all of the stored energy can be released all at once. Not all the water
>  > turns to steam, only a small fraction, but it can throw the remaining hot
>  > water a significant distance.
>  >
>  > Meredith Brown
>  > ESH Lessons Learned Program Manager
>  > Los Alamos National Laboratory
>  > 505 667 0604
>  > 505 665 6977 (fax) >>
>
>
>
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