The upcoming Labor Day tradition of backyard barbecues, already in the health spotlight for spewing toxins, is drawing another warning from doctors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: bristles from wire brushes used to clean grills are causing injuries.
Acting on a CDC warning, a new medical study reports an uptick in the cases of bristles getting stuck in throats and stomachs of barbecue fans — and often goes undiagnosed.
“The accidental ingestion of wire brush bristles continues to be a public health issue because of the difficulty in diagnosis,” said the study published in the authoritative Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology.
“Unlike chicken or fish bone foreign bodies in the oropharynx and hypopharynx, wire bristle foreign bodies may be more often overlooked on flexible laryngoscopy due to their small size,” said the study from the Boston University School of Medicine.
Labor Day barbecues are part of Americana. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the day is the best one to reflect on the labor movement but added, “it’s also not a bad day for a barbecue.”
The study detailed how the metal fibers are often confused for bones, and can go unseen in X-rays. Once found, however, many were removed with tweezers. The study in the September issue, titled “Management of Wire Brush Bristle Ingestion: Review of Literature and Presentation of an Algorithm,” sits behind a paywall and was provided to Secrets.
The study referenced a CDC warning about backyard barbecue cleaning. The CDC warned:
“Groom your grill and tools. Risk: Wire bristles from grill cleaning brushes may dislodge and stick into food on the grill. Tip: Use a moist cloth or paper towel to clean the grill surface before cooking. If you use a wire bristle brush, thoroughly inspect the grill’s surface before cooking.”
According to the CDC, there have been 22 consumer-reported cases of “grill bristle ingestion” since 2011, and the BU study said that 26 came in the last three years.
“Brushes used to clean off grills often have small wire bristles that can break off during use, become embedded in food, and subsequently ingested unintentionally. In both recent medical literature and the media, there has been an increase in the reported incidence of wire bristle foreign body ingestion,” it said.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
