Sunday, December 14, 2008

Important message..

Got this from email.

THIS INFORMATION NEEDS TO BE SHARED!

Microwaved water - one MUST read

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).

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. Micro waved 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 teabag 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.

9 comments:

Unknown said...

My bro had a similar case, but it was the heater blew off his friend's eye. Luckily no life were harmed; but his fried lost his right eye.

Anonymous said...

It was my practice to heat the water in a microwave to make a cup of 3 in 1 drinks. I had never experience such thing that was stated in the e mail you posted but however did experience a small explosion when I empty the whole content from the sachet at once. Then only I realised that I should have emptied the content bit by bit to prevent the bubling explosion. I learned something from that experience and now after reading what you have posted, I knew why the water in the cup reacted that way.

Nightwing said...

Hi Akmal,

Sorry to hear abt ur bro friend's eye.

Like u mentioned lucky no life was lost.

Nightwing said...

Helo Cikgu,

Welcome to my crib.

Thanks for sharing your experience. I think most people would have used microwave to heat water up...just that no one realise the dangers of it.

Lee said...

Hi Nightwing, good info. Anyway, we boil our water the old fashion way, i.e. kettle way.
But will info my hi-tech friends, ha ha.
You watch your swing...and have a no bogey game.
Best regards, Lee.

Chahya said...

I'll be more careful, thanks.

sting said...

yeah, I heard many cases of this too... need to be careful

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year!!

Unknown said...

Hi Nightwing,

Yes I have read this before, but it is good to share with the others. It is a serious matter indeed.

Tumpang lalu Nigthwing: Alahai, Akmal that is so sad for your brother's friend.