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We first started getting this email back in 1999. Exploding water? In a nutshell, yes, water can explode in the fashion described above. However, it takes near perfect conditions to bring this about, thus exploding water is not something the average hot beverage drinker who would otherwise now be eyeing his microwave with trepidation need fear. Odds are, you'll go through life without ever viewing this phenomenon first-hand, and if you're one of the rare few who does get to see it, you will likely not be harmed by the experience (that would take your standing right over the cup at the instant it happened, and the liquid's bolting up and hitting your skin). The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has advised consumers: The e-mailed warning quoted above a model of non-specificity (no names, date, or locale; only the detail that the victim was 26 years old, presumably to enforce the idea that this accident could not be blamed on a child's typical lack of caution), leaving us able to address only its theoretical aspects. Nearly every science writer who has tackled the topic notes that the severe superheating phenomenon is real but likely not nearly as common as the message cited above might make it sound. In an article for New Scientist, Richard Barton wrote: From the How Everything Works web site: From the Unwise Microwave Oven Experiments article: If you're worried about explosions over superheated liquid, you can virtually eliminate the possibility of its happening to you by simply leaving some non-metallic object (such as a wooden spoon or stir stick) in the cup or bowl when you boil liquids in your microwave. It may not be necessary, but it won't hurt anything either. Peace of mind rarely comes so cheaply. Get additional information from the FDA.
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