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View Full Version : Grill Brush Danger - Yep, it's as Bad as We Thought


Boshizzle
03-30-2012, 07:23 PM
PROVIDENCE, RI (CBS) – Several cases of people swallowing grill brush bristles have prompted doctors at Rhode Island Hospital to issue a warning about this unexpected danger.

In a newly published study, Rhode Island doctors note six cases over the course of 18 months where people accidentally swallowed wire grill brush bristles.
The incidents all required endoscopic or surgical removal.

Dr. David Grand, a radiologist who authored the paper, says the six patients all complained of mouth, esophagus, or abdominal pain.
Doctors found the common link was that the patients had eaten meat cooked on a grill that was cleaned with a wire brush immediately prior to cooking.

In three cases, the wire caused damage to the patients’ stomachs or intestine.
“Although foreign body ingestion is not a rare complaint in an emergency department, it is striking that in only 18 months we identified six separate episodes of wire bristle ingestion after eating grilled meat,” Grand said. “The public should be aware of this potential danger.”

The doctors involved in the study now suggest wiping down your grill with paper towels after using a grill brush.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/03/30/ri-doctors-warn-of-wire-bbq-grill-brush-danger/ (http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/03/30/ri-doctors-warn-of-wire-bbq-grill-brush-danger/)

mbshop
03-30-2012, 07:34 PM
those cheap brushes out there just add to the problem. folks don't chew their food anymore ?

Harbormaster
03-30-2012, 07:38 PM
This just in:

No one in Wisconsin ate or swallowed a wire brush bristle this year.
Film at 10:00.

/sarc

jaestar
03-30-2012, 07:42 PM
A buddy of mine was just telling me that this happened to his uncle a couple years ago. Had to go to the ER and almost had to have surgery to remove it.

Happy Hapgood
03-30-2012, 07:51 PM
I found out early on about the cheap ones with the brass bristles. Not from eating but from the 3 steps to my grill from the back door on the patio in sock feet. Dang those things hurt! Been using Weber SS grill brushes ever since with no problems.

ThatsWhatSheSaidBBQ
03-30-2012, 08:50 PM
Heck, I don't even use a brush (this is the main reason why). I use a metal spatula and scrape after the grill plates have been heated.. If they get too dirty, I just stick them in the sink with some Dawn and use those half sponge/half scrubber dudes to get the gunk off..

RevZiLLa
03-30-2012, 09:01 PM
I would say something sarcastic, but then, with my luck, I would probably swallow a bristle or two and have to pass it...

Terry The Toad
03-30-2012, 09:02 PM
Okay, I know it is probably a rare occurrence - but it happens often enough that they mentioned it during BBQ judging class. As in: your box will be disqualified if the judges find any foreign object in it, such as a piece of wire from a brush.

I use a SS brush. And, I rely on a visual inspection plus rinsing with the hose to make sure nothing like that is left on the cooking rack. However, at my age - I hope the rinsing does the trick. :becky:

smokeyokie
03-30-2012, 09:05 PM
I make a wad of foil and scrub the grates with it... no bristle problems:clap:

Phubar
03-31-2012, 05:19 AM
There's cheap and there's cheap.
I use cheap brass brushes that are very good.
I've bought other cheap ones of the same price but they were releasing some wires...threw them away immediatly.

JimmyDAL
03-31-2012, 05:48 AM
I also do the foil ball. As odd as it seems imagine if it was one of your kids that was effected.

frohe
03-31-2012, 08:26 AM
Man, I quit using steel brushes long ago. I get them nice fiber pads. They do a great job.

landarc
03-31-2012, 10:08 AM
I rarely clean my grill.

Randbo
03-31-2012, 10:21 AM
I have used a brush for years. Never herd of this. Good info to know. I also have used balled up foil and it works really well.

The Pup
03-31-2012, 01:16 PM
http://www.grillfloss.com/grillfloss_home.html

http://www.bbqfans.com/product_images/z/807/grill-floss__80571_zoom.jpg

Corky
03-31-2012, 06:40 PM
those cheap brushes out there just add to the problem. folks don't chew their food anymore ?

My product is tender enough that you don't need to chew. :wink:

jsperk
03-31-2012, 08:07 PM
http://www.grillfloss.com/grillfloss_home.html

http://www.bbqfans.com/product_images/z/807/grill-floss__80571_zoom.jpg
I have one of those and it works good.

OMFGBBQ
03-31-2012, 08:34 PM
Someone needs to create a grill brush brush.

Wayne
03-31-2012, 10:12 PM
I use a torch to heat the grill and burn off any residue. Then hit it with a damp cloth and there you have it. A clean and sanitized grill.

FatDaddy
04-01-2012, 09:46 AM
A few years ago I got a bristle in my fajitas at On the Border. I bit down hard on it damn near cracked a tooth. I got quite a free dinners out of that one. I try and use a good brush at home. Or I'll use wadded up tinfoil after I get the grate good and hot.

ODU Dad
04-02-2012, 05:00 PM
Let me get this straight, the brush fibers stick to the grate and then the meat is placed on the fibers and stick to the meat and the person eats them, correct?

If the grates are clean then how do the fibers stick to the grates? Maybe they need to clean them better, or wipe them with a wet cloth after they "clean" them. I have never seen this happen.

bander7003
04-02-2012, 05:09 PM
I'v enever heard of this before. When I read the first post or two, I kept wondering when the punch line was coming.:crazy: I thought it was something like the McDonald's hot coffee story. I use grill brushes all the time -- probably the cheap Walmart kind at that. I will need to be more careful and perhaps make a switch. Thanks for the heads up.

likeadeere
04-02-2012, 05:14 PM
I use a 2" putty knife - works awesome. But ur right, every once in awhile I use a steel brush. And I never wonder where all those missing hairs go...

caseydog
04-02-2012, 05:17 PM
This just in:

No one in Wisconsin ate or swallowed a wire brush bristle this year.
Film at 10:00.

/sarc


Because a wire is not even close to the worst thing you guys eat up there. :tsk:

CD :becky:

IamMadMan
04-02-2012, 05:21 PM
After taking food off, while it is resting I crank the heat up full to burn any residue off, then use a brass wire brush to polish the stainless grates and shut down.

Before I cook, I wipe the grates with a scrubber pad and then with an olive oiled paper towel.

Keeps them shiny and reduces sticky residue

LoneStarMojo
04-02-2012, 06:25 PM
I've been using a welding brush for years. Pretty stout. But the grill floss thing looks cool.

Big Kahuna
04-02-2012, 08:20 PM
I have actually bitten into a remnant of a grill brush in a Chinese restaurant, I shuddered to think what would have happened if I had of swallowed it. I usually wipe my grill down with paper towel after I clean it with my brush.

bbqchicken
04-02-2012, 08:40 PM
I rarely clean my grill.

Do you brush your teeth at least? :grin:

Big slick
04-03-2012, 08:13 AM
I use those stainless steel scrubbers you use to scrub pots and Pans and an old rag to hold onto it. It works well and no metal bristles.

Smokey Al Gold
04-03-2012, 09:02 AM
I've seen this happen quite a bit lately. I was just noticing this yesterday on my weber q. I'm going to try one of the weber brand brushes and see if it helps. Those stupid bristles will fly off and you can barely see them.

Gore
04-03-2012, 09:19 AM
I'm waiting for the Congressional hearings to start. :pop2:

gtr
04-03-2012, 09:47 AM
Well finding out about that too late would be a real pain it the arse.

Ashmont
04-03-2012, 10:39 AM
Spatula high heat and 2600 PSI pressure washer (water only)

tnjimbob
04-03-2012, 12:50 PM
High heat, then a SS bristle brush, followed by a tinfoil ball. Works like a champ.

When I first got my new to me grill, I used oven cleaner and a big trash bag sealed up overnight. I used a Scotch Brite pad and rinsed it off well, dried it, then put it over half a chimney of lump charcoal to burn off any residual nastiness and to make sure the oven cleaner was gone. Now it is clean enough that the SS brush and a tinfoil ball keep the grates clean.

AlanTX
04-03-2012, 12:56 PM
I use a torch to heat the grill and burn off any residue. Then hit it with a damp cloth and there you have it. A clean and sanitized grill.

I do the same with my HF weed burner, gotta do something with it besides burning UDS' and ant piles.

Smoke & Beers
04-03-2012, 01:01 PM
Go ahead and make jokes...but if it happens to you or someone you love, it is no laughing matter.
Back in the summer of 1995 I made some cheeseburgers on the old gasser for the family and we all sat down to chow down. I took one bite and felt a sharp pain in the back of my mouth, near the uvula (hang down thingy). Immediate reflex was for my tongue to retract/gag. My tongue forced the wire bristle deeper into the flesh of the back of my throat and the other end into my tongue...while I still had a mouthful of cheeseburger. I started choking and finally got the burger out of my mouth and after a few minutes to try to figure out what the heck happened, my wife was able to reach in and pull the bristle out. A trip to the doctor for a tetanus shot was all that was needed....but I learned that using a cheap worn out welding wire brush was not worth it.

Smokey Al Gold
04-03-2012, 02:12 PM
Go ahead and make jokes...but if it happens to you or someone you love, it is no laughing matter.
Back in the summer of 1995 I made some cheeseburgers on the old gasser for the family and we all sat down to chow down. I took one bite and felt a sharp pain in the back of my mouth, near the uvula (hang down thingy). Immediate reflex was for my tongue to retract/gag. My tongue forced the wire bristle deeper into the flesh of the back of my throat and the other end into my tongue...while I still had a mouthful of cheeseburger. I started choking and finally got the burger out of my mouth and after a few minutes to try to figure out what the heck happened, my wife was able to reach in and pull the bristle out. A trip to the doctor for a tetanus shot was all that was needed....but I learned that using a cheap worn out welding wire brush was not worth it.

:wacko: Wow at first all I was afraid of was terrorists and the end of the world in december. But now grill brush bristles is my number one fear. The world can end but god forbid I get a bristle in the throat! :cry:

AlanTX
04-03-2012, 02:27 PM
Go ahead and make jokes...but if it happens to you or someone you love, it is no laughing matter.
Back in the summer of 1995 I made some cheeseburgers on the old gasser for the family and we all sat down to chow down. I took one bite and felt a sharp pain in the back of my mouth, near the uvula (hang down thingy). Immediate reflex was for my tongue to retract/gag. My tongue forced the wire bristle deeper into the flesh of the back of my throat and the other end into my tongue...while I still had a mouthful of cheeseburger. I started choking and finally got the burger out of my mouth and after a few minutes to try to figure out what the heck happened, my wife was able to reach in and pull the bristle out. A trip to the doctor for a tetanus shot was all that was needed....but I learned that using a cheap worn out welding wire brush was not worth it.

ewwww, chit that sounds horrible and the tetanus shot sucks too.

Boshizzle
04-03-2012, 02:52 PM
I'm waiting for the Congressional hearings to start. :pop2:

Stop giving them ideas! This could be the start of a whole new trillion dollar government agency.

Boshizzle
05-21-2012, 09:52 PM
Update -

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/05/21/new-jersey-man-recovering-after-eating-metallic-bristle-from-grill-brush/


RIVER EDGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – Think twice before you put the metal to the barbeque (http://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/five-more-barbecue-spots-around-new-york-city/) this grilling season.

A New Jersey man’s brush with death last week was apparently due to a grilling tool.
Michael DeStefan went to Hackensack University Medical Center (http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/05/04/hackensack-high-school-student-suddenly-paralyzed-from-waist-down/) thinking he had appendicitis after experiencing excruciating pain in his stomach.

Doctors conducted tests and found a 1½-inch-long metallic object had pierced the 54-year-old’s large intestine. They thought he had swallowed a nail, fish hook or paper.
“It looked like it could’ve been a nail, even though it didn’t really have quite the characteristics of a nail,” Dr. Sanjeev Kaul told CBS 2’s Don Dahler.
“The guy walks out of the room, sticks his head back in and says, ‘did you eat a nail?’ So I look around, I say, ‘what did he say?’ He said did you eat a nail? I said, ‘no, I didn’t eat a nail.’ ‘Did you eat a paperclip? A fishhook?’ I look at my wife. I say ‘my stomach’s killing me.’ I said ‘what’s with the jokes?’ He says, ‘I’m not joking,’” DeStefan said.

“It could lead to a multi-system organ failure and possible death,” Dr. Kaul said.
DeStefan’s wife figured out one of the metal bristles on his grill brush broke off, got stuck to the grill grate and embedded itself in the shell steak her husband had cooked and eaten days before visiting the hospital.

Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove the wire and repair the hole that it made in DeStefan’s large intestine.
“There was an infection, they just didn’t know how big the infection was, or how much of a hole it had torn inside my intestines, and they didn’t know that until they went in,” DeStefan said. “When I went under he told me I have to do this immediately, because we don’t know what we’re going to find, and there’s a chance that you might not make it.

DeStefan is hoping his brush with death serves as a warning to others.
“I hope no one will have to go through that,” DeStefan said. “I want people to be aware of the fact that something as simple and innocent as going outside and grilling steaks and hamburgers for your family and friends could potentially be life-threatening.”

The Record reports half a dozen similar cases have been documented in Rhode Island.
DeStefan has since ditched the brush and instead uses a stone to clean the grill.

Smokendink71
05-21-2012, 09:57 PM
ouch I'll bet those hurt coming out

Greg60525
05-21-2012, 10:21 PM
So, what's a good way to clean those diamond mesh grill grates, like you find on some of the larger smokers? The cylindrical type grates like you find on a Weber grill are much easier to clean, where as those diamond grates just tear everything up.

Thanks,

Boshizzle
05-21-2012, 10:25 PM
Crumpled up foil, a stone based cleaner or use some Greased Lightning, scrubb it with a wire or stone brush then rinse it well and look itover good to make sure there anore no remnants of the grill brush left on it.

I'm still thinking it over, but I believe that foil, a stone based "brush" and a cleaner like Greased Lightning is going to be key.

DC-Q
05-25-2012, 10:54 AM
I haven't bought a grill brush in 10 years. A wadded up piece of foil works just fine.

Coldholler
05-25-2012, 10:58 AM
Yikes!!!

EX~DY
05-29-2012, 03:42 PM
10+ years using brushes & never had a problem... although I have seen the bristles fly before. Just to be safe I think I will toss the 2 brushes I have.

Smoke & Beers
05-29-2012, 04:38 PM
Word of advise...stay away from the plastic brushes... I always heat my grates before cleaning and the plastic bristle heads will melt and those little bristles come out easily when the plastic melts. Always inspect your brushes to make sure they are intact and I now wipe down the grates with a paper towel with peanut oil to assure there are no stray bristles plus it helps maintain your grates.

Oldchicago
05-29-2012, 05:42 PM
I never thought about it before, I sure am glad to know before something happens to my family or friends I cook for. Thanks Brethren-