4th Of July Dangers Lurk On Your Barbecue

Many Americans will find themselves barbecuing burgers, hot dogs, and brats this 4th of July. However, a danger might be lurking on your grill surface in the form of brush debris.

According to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), barbecuing during the 4th of July or any other time of the year because internal injuries have been reported following the unintentional ingestion of wire grill-cleaning brush bristles by both children and adults consuming delicious food fresh off the grill.

The CDC report recounts six cases of injuries that occurred as a result of barbecue brush debris that happened between March 2011 and June 2012.

Are you rethinking your 4th of July festivities yet?

According to the report, a fifty year old man went to the emergency for abdominal pain after eating a steak from a backyard grill. A CT scan revealed that a wire bristle from a grill-cleaning brush had extended through the wall of a loop his small intestine into his omentum. The bristle had to be removed via a laparotomy, a surgical procedure involving a large incision through the abdominal wall to gain access into the abdominal cavity.

In the other cases of 4th of July barbecues going terribly wrong, the patients suffered from pain on swallowing caused by a wire bristle becoming lodged in the neck to abdominal pain from the brush debris perforating parts of the abdomen.

To keep your family and friends safe and healthy this 4th of July, simply check the surface of your grill before putting on the food. Keep the grill surface clear from brush debris and any other foreign objects.

As reported by MSNBC, prevention is the easiest way to avoid a dangerous 4th of July fiasco. Says the CDC:

“Additionally, public awareness might result in careful examination of any grill surface before use, or use of alternative grill-cleaning methods or products.”

Will you check your grill for brush debris before barbecuing this 4th of July?