CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Before you patty those burgers and throw them on the grill, here's a reminder to clean the grill surface first and check for loose wire bristles.
Every summer someone falls victim to this, and the consequences can be rough, medically expensive and perhaps even deadly.
This problem isn’t new, but every year it’s reported that someone new ingested one of those wire brush bristles through a burger or some other piece of meat.
So what other options are out there to clean your grill surface?
So tiny, wire bristles are easily missed, but they are very visible on the x-ray after if you eat one. The meat on the grill can easily absorb a wire bristle left behind after you clean your grill.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also known as the CDC, wrote of cases reported to the agency:
“The severity of injury ranged from puncture of the soft tissues of the neck, causing severe pain on swallowing, to perforation of the gastrointestinal tract requiring emergent surgery.
Awareness of this potential injury among healthcare professionals is critical to facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment. Additionally, awareness among the public, manufacturers who make wire grill-cleaning brushes, and retailers who sell these products can reduce exposures and decrease the likelihood of further occurrences.
Before cooking, people should examine the grill surface carefully for the presence of bristles that might have dislodged from the grill brush and could embed in cooked food. Alternative residential grill-cleaning methods or products might be considered.”
WCNC Consumer Reporter Bill McGinty went looking in the store this weekend to see what else might be available. Scores of metal brushes were still there, but there was another option. It was a grill cleaning block, it looks like a big sponge, and it doesn’t have wire bristles. McGinty searched Amazon as well and found lots of other choices including nylon brushes.
Admittedly, this is rare. Wire brushes are safe to still use, just check them so they are in good condition and give the grill surface the once over before you put the meat on the grill top.
The CDC noted that even doctors could miss the problem because the bristle is so small. In their report issued in 2012, the agency noted:
“With the summer grilling season underway, broad awareness of the risk will help ED physicians, internists, and radiologists to quickly and appropriately diagnose this injury.
These bristles are small, and can be quite difficult to visualize on plain radiographs and CT. If necessary, CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis should be performed without oral contrast, which can obscure the wire bristle. Clinical history is critical so that radiologic evaluation can be tailored to pinpoint the location of the wire (and potential complications) for the appropriate intervention.
Additionally, public awareness might result in careful examination of any grill surface before use or use of alternative grill-cleaning methods or products. Awareness by manufacturers and retailers might encourage alteration of current products or development of safer ones for consumer use. Finally, those in the food services industry should examine whether their patrons are at risk for this injury.”
Contact Bill McGinty at bmcginty@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook.