The dangers of wire grill brushes

"A 40-year-old woman presented to a local emergency room complaining of throat pain," the case description begins. "The pain started suddenly while eating chicken breast prepared on a grill, and it worsened with swallowing. She described the pain as constant . . ."

We have an uncomfortable Fourth of July tradition here at The Public's Health: warning about the not-so-well-known dangers of loose bristles from barbecue brushes.

"Sharp objects, like the wire grill brush bristle described in this case," Boston doctors write in Case Reports in Otolaryngology, "carry significant risk of complications, which include infection, abscess formation, arterial aneurysm, and carotid artery rupture."

Protecting your family is easy:

-- Check the surfaces of grills for wire bristles before putting on the food.

-- Wipe the grill surface with a cloth after you brush it.

-- Purchase a new brush if yours is old and looks as if it's losing its bristles.

More about the dangers of stray wires is in our last Independence Day post.

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