Why hundreds of people in the U.S. are sent to the emergency room each year.
As Americans enjoy grilling their burgers, chicken, vegetables, and more, there’s one ingredient you want to steer clear of – parts of the metal grill brush! Those short, metal brushes used to clean a grill result in approximately 150-200 medical cases a year in the United States.
Brian Curtis, M.D., vice president of the Clinical Specialty Services at OSF HealthCare said, “They may be underreported, but those are the ones we know about.”
While barbecues over an outdoor grill are a great way for people to come together and enjoy a meal, Dr. Curtis reported it could be an extremely painful experience if you end up swallowing a bristle from a wire brush.
“The bristles can become embedded in your tongue, in the back of your throat, esophagus, stomach, and small intestine,” Dr. Curtis said. “They can cause perforations because it’s like swallowing a small needle. There are people every year who have surgeries trying to find these small objects, because they are very tiny.
So how can you keep your food on the grill from getting an unwanted extra ingredient? Dr. Curtis noted it’s all about preparation, and said, “You can use aluminum foil. Some people use nylon (scrapers). I just use a wool brush on mine. If you don’t want to go away from the wire brush, then really inspect your grill very closely to make sure there’s nothing stuck on it.”
Dr. Curtis says if you believe you’ve swallowed a wire brush bristle, you need to be evaluated immediately.