Why You Might Want To Throw Out That Wire Grill Brush
For many, grilling is the easiest type of cooking. But like many good things, grilling isn't without its share of risks. Most minds might go to accidental fires or painful burns when grilling hazards get brought up, but one pediatric emergency doctor shared a different hazard in a recent viral video. In the video, the doctor describes a scenario in which a small child needed emergency surgery to remove a wire that had been dislodged from a wire grill brush and became stuck in the throat area.
@beachgem10 One of my most interesting cases has a lesson that could save your life! #case #medicine #interesting #summer #ent
Wire grill brushes have long been a small part of making the most of the summer grilling season. Cleaning food debris off the grill grate is essential for preventing fires and maintaining the integrity of your food's flavor. However, cases like the one described in the video of wire bristles causing bodily harm occur when the wire breaks away from the brush and settles onto the grate. Eventually, this piece of metal can make its way into your food. The bristles are thin and can be difficult to detect, depending on what you're eating.
Injuries from wire bristles can be severe but they are preventable
Between 2002 and 2014, bristles from wire grill brushes were responsible for over 1,600 internal injuries that led people to the emergency room. Annually, over 130 emergency room visits are because of ingesting a bristle from a wire grill brush. While most injuries occur in or around the mouth, throat, and tonsils, there have been cases of severe gastrointestinal perforations as well.
From March 2011 to June 2012, six individuals visited an emergency room in Providence, Rhode Island after ingesting a wire bristle that had been lodged in meat from a recent BBQ. One patient had the fragment removed via colonoscopy while the others needed a laryngoscopy or a laparotomy to remove the foreign object. To make sure your backyard barbeques go off without any injuries, ditch the wire grill brush. Brushes like the Grillart Grill Brush and Scraper are bristle-free so you can clean debris off grates without the risk of internal injury. Mitigate unnecessary hazards this summer and instead focus on things like which barbecue sauces are superior for a delicious meal in the sunshine.