Boiling Water in Microwave

A 26-year old person 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 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
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.