You can be injured when water heated in a microwave suddenly boils.

See the email warning here.

Yes. Liquids heated in a microwave may unexpectedly boil.

Consider the following safety warning from an Amana microwave oven instructions:

Liquids heated in certain shaped containers (especially cylindrical-shaped containers) may become overheated. The liquid may splash out with a loud noise during or after heating or when adding ingredients (instant coffee, etc.), resulting in harm to the oven and possible injury. In all containers, for best results, stir the liquid several times before heating. Always stir liquid several times between reheatings.

Does this occur frequently? Probably not, but that does not mean it would be fun to scalded by boiling liquids.

There is not sufficient information in the email to verify if the injury described actually occurred. Of course, this supposedly first-hand account is much more memorable than the dry safety warning cited above. While everyone may not heed, or even read, microwave safety instructions, they are more likely to remember a first hand account.

As the safety warning suggests, liquids heated in a microwave can be heated above their boiling point and become 'superheated.' Unlike boiling water on a stove, superheated water in a microwave may lack something to initiate boiling. When triggered though, the boiling may be very rapid, even explosive. Boiling could be triggered by movement or adding ingredients such as a teabag or instant coffee.

Let's be careful out there.

• Micro Madness from the New Scientist
• Boil on Troubled Waters from the Urban Legends Reference Pages

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