Around the world, many people enjoy making themselves a cup of tea to relax. There are many ways that one can prepare a cup of tea, but among the most common is simply taking a cup of hot water and placing a tea bag inside of it.
However, the way one gets that hot cup of water can vary significantly—and in some cases, it can be dangerous.
While electric kettles are common throughout much of the world, some Americans opt to prepare their tea by putting a cup of water in the microwave to heat it up. As recently noted by TikTok user Kristen Beamer (@marleysroselife), this can prove incredibly dangerous.
How did microwaved water lead to a trip to the emergency room?
In a video with over 2.6 million views, Beamer explains how her daughter’s tea preparations led to her visiting both the emergency room and an eye doctor.
According to Beamer, her daughter Polly was preparing a cup of tea by putting a mug of water in the microwave “same way she does every single day.” But when she took the cup of hot water out and placed the tea bag in, something unexpected happened.
“She takes the mug out, she puts it on the stove, she has her teabag and she drops it into the mug,” Beamer recounts. “When she dropped the tea bag into the mug, it sounded like a gun went off. The water exploded up from the mug right into her face.”
Thinking quickly, Beamer began to apply cold water to the fresh burn. It should be noted that the Mayo Clinic advises running any fresh burn under cool, not cold, water for around 10 minutes, as cold water can exacerbate tissue damage.
Following the incident, Polly was taken to the emergency room, where she was told that she only had first-degree burns. Still, the burns caused her pain and even resulted in a blister around her eye, hence the trip to the eye doctor. That said, Polly is OK and is expected to make a full recovery.
Is this possible?
In her video, Beamer offers a brief explanation of what can cause this to happen.
“The way a microwave works is, when it heats the water molecules, it excites them really quickly. And sometimes that water becomes superheated, which is hotter than boiling, but it doesn’t boil. It doesn’t even look like it’s doing anything. It’s just still,” she starts. “When you take that water and you disturb the surface, like when she drops her teabag in, it causes this rapid boil instantly, which results, sometimes, in an explosion.”
This is mostly correct, though there are other factors that can cause microwaved water to suddenly explode.
For example, Hank Green of Sci Show notes that containers reheated in the microwave are generally smooth, “which can prevent nucleation, the process that incites the water to go from liquid to gas.” In Polly’s case, she appeared to be using a glass mug.
When the surface tension of the water is broken, it can cause the water to suddenly boil—which can, in turn, cause it to rapidly shoot out of the mug. The internet is filled with countless examples of this exact phenomenon, and it was even the subject of an episode of the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters, which dubbed the idea “absolutely true.”
@marleysroselife I figure most already know about the dangers of heating water in a microwave, but just in case
♬ original sound – Marleysroselife Kristen Beamer#microwavedanger #psa
Commenters are thankful for the tip
In the comments section, users thanked Beamer for the advice, while others simply shared their microwave horror stories.
“I once boiled eggs, they weren’t quite done and I tried to microwave them for a bit. despite being cut in half, when i touched them they blew up,” wrote a user. “I have a bald spot on my brow for 30 yrs now.”
“Electric kettle is something to look into, heats water in 3 minutes,” noted another.
“You can add a non metal object to the cup while heating it up to prevent this (tea bag or wooden spoon),” advised a third. “I’m so sorry this happened to polly.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Beamer via email.
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