Why you should never use a wire brush to clean it

As we dust our grills in search of warmer weather, researchers warn us to check your food before you eat it, as it may be contaminated with the metal bristles of grill cleaning brushes. If swallowed, it can cause injury.

The bristle brush used to clean barbecue tools can cause serious injury if swallowed. A study published in the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery reports that between 2002 and 2014, more than 1,600 emergency room visits occurred as a result of injuries from wire brushing.

While wire grill brushes can be an effective cleaning tool before or after grilling, the bristles can easily fall out and end up in people’s food. If swallowed, these tiny metallic threads can cause serious injury to the mouth, throat, and gastrointestinal area.

A small, unknown silk can settle in various parts of the body, be it the throat, tonsils or the neck area. If the hair passes through these areas without getting caught, it can sink into the esophagus, stomach, or intestines. The biggest concern is that it settles in these areas and gets stuck in the intestinal wall. Hair can travel from the intestines and cause further internal damage. Injuries from wire brushes are a potential safety issue for consumers.

Be careful before you start grilling

For their study, Dr. Zhang and colleagues wanted to know the extent of injuries caused by bristle brushing in the United States.
To do this, they analyzed data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS). From this information, the researchers were able to estimate the number of emergency room visits that occurred due to wire brush injuries between 2002 and 2014. The team found that 1,698 visits occurred as a result of these injuries during this period. Most of these injuries were in the mouth, throat, and tonsils, and some required surgery.

The researchers note that the incidence of injuries from wire brush between 2002 and 2014 is likely to be even higher, because the researchers did not take into account injuries reported by urgent care centers and other health care facilities in outpatient care. The researchers hope their findings will help raise awareness among manufacturers and consumers of the potential health risks associated with wire brushes.

How to avoid injuries caused by wire brushes

As barbecue season approaches, wire brush injuries are more likely. Here are a number of tips to avoid visiting the emergency room.

Before cleaning the grill with a wire brush, make sure the pot is in good condition. Get rid of it if there is any hair falling out.

Use other cleaning methods, such as nylon brushes.

Check grill grates before cooking food.

– Check the grilled food after cooking to make sure that the hair does not fall out.

If precautionary measures fail and people experience swallowing problems or pain after eating something grilled or grilled, they should seek medical or emergency care and inform the doctor that they attended a barbecue or simply grilled food.