Using the wrong type of brush to clean your grill or wearing out the one you now own, could send you to the hospital.
Physicians at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence have treated several patients who complained of difficulty swallowing or severe stomach pain. All of these cases were caused by bristles that fell off grill brushes.
"All six patients had swallowed wires off of the grill brush they had used to clean the grill with immediately before eating their meat," said Dr. David Grand, a physician at the medical center.
Like any cleaning tool, grill brushes get old and when metal bristles get lose, they can get caught on a grimy grill grate and reattach to any raw meat placed on the grill.
If a grill brush bristle is swallowed, you'll need to have surgery to remove it if the bristle puncture your throat, stomach or small intestines.
Wade Goode is a manager at Blackhawk Hardware in Charlotte, NC. He says regularly examining your grill brush is an important thing to do.
"Look at your brush," Goode said. "It's the last thing there before your food goes on there."
Experts say you should inspect your grill brush for wear and tear every two to three months.
Make sure the brush is appropriate for use on the type of grates on your grill.
For example, you should use a stainless steel brush with stainless steel grates.
If you have porcelain-coated or cast iron grates, use a brush with brass bristles.
Brass is a softer metal less likely to chip and nick the coating. Once you nick the coating on a grate, that could lead to rust later forming.
You can use a stainless steel brush on porcelain or cast iron grates, but you should not apply too much pressure.
If you have a brush with plastic bristles, make sure the grill grates are completely cooled.
Wade says you really need to examine the quality of any brush before you purchase it.
"Pluck on the bristles, just give a nice little tug on them," Wade says.
If the bristles come loose, they'll likely come out when you're scrubbing.
Every time you go to your grill, its a good idea to inspect your brush and grates for any globs of residue or stray bristles.
Consider this extra safety step the secret ingredient to your family's grilling recipes.
Additional Information:
The following information is from Rhode Island Hospital.
- Rhode Island Hospital physicians identified six cases of accidental ingestion of wire bristles from cleaning brushes which ended up in the beef or chicken people ate.
- The hospital published a study in the American Journal of Roentgenology on the issue with Dr. David Grand as the lead author.
- Within an 18-month period, six patients had gone to the hospital with abdominal pain or painful swallowing.
- The patients were between 11 and 75 years old, and all had eaten grilled meat within 24 hours prior to arriving to the hospital. The food was prepared on a grill that was cleaned with a wire brush immediately prior to cooking.
- Scans and x-rays showed metallic bristles.
- One patient had a perforated stomach and liver and a large hepatic abscess.
- Three patients had odynophagia (painful swallowing).
- Two patients had a punctured small intestine.
- If the wire is in the mouth or throat, an ear, nose, throat doctor or gastroenterologist can use a scope to remove it.
- If the wire has perforated the intestine, surgery with removal of the affected bowel segment is usually required.
- After the research, Dr. Grand noted that he now wipes his own grill with paper towels after using the grill brush to prevent swallowing a wire.
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