Lifestyle

Doctors Remind Cooks to Throw Out Potentially Dangerous Barbecue Brushes

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Tony Maples Photography

 

As we enter the warmer months, people are starting to spend more time outside and barbecuing. But doctors are warning folks that the wire brushes they use to clean their grills can potentially be dangerous for dinner guests. If a bristle detaches from the brush and unknowingly makes its way onto a piece of food, it could induce a medical emergency.

The source of the latest warning comes from Canadian surgeons via CBC Health, but that doesn’t mean that Texans, though they might be more advanced in the ways of barbecue, shouldn’t heed the warning too. The wire bristles can get lodged in people’s throats. And there’s no simple fix when it comes to removing them. In fact, Dr. Ian Dempsey said it’s like “removing an acupuncture needle from a grapefruit without damaging any part of the fruit.”

A couple of years ago, Fox 59 reported an incident of a woman who had a bristle stuck in her intestine. “It was just a pain that I have never felt before,” Harrison said. “I felt my stomach was bloated… extremely tender to the touch. You could not even push on anything – just hurt my stomach,” she said.

Before you start grilling this year, replace your brush with something safer!