Fw: something to think about-Microwaves - dangerous to boil water

["GESA BRINKS" <gesaeqfx@pe.net>]

<This sounded kind of scarey.  Sorry it isnt endurance related.

I don't know how true it is. At least it is something to bear in mind.
>_______________________________________________________________________
>I feel that the following is information that any one 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.
>While at the hospital, the doctor who was attending to him stated that
>this is 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.
>The physics explanation for this phenomenon is that water can be overheated
>to beyond boiling point in a smooth-surface container in an undisturbed
>situation such as a microwave oven. The disturbance caused by the act of
>bringing the cup out from the oven is sometimes enough to trigger the
>boiling and the sudden splashing of superheated water onto the bearer.
>Hence usage of the microwave to heat water close to boiling point is a
>very dangerous practice, since most utensils used, such as porcelain cups,
>generally have very smooth surfaces. The result can be the very tragic
>accident as described above.
>
>