TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - With sunny, warm temperatures, many folks are getting ready to fire up the grill for the Fourth of July. However, cleaning the grill safely should be a top priority before lighting it.
"This pain felt like somebody shot me in the gut," said Robert Rousseau.
Rousseau says that pain came when a piece of his wire brush that he used to clean his grill, ended up in his food.
"I ingested the wire, and it got to my intestine and pierced it," Rousseau explained.
It also happened to Chester Poole who recently went to Facebook to warn others.
Dr. Todd Helfman of Mercy Health says ingesting part of a wire brush is a serious matter.
"What can happen is it can get stuck or lodged somewhere in the back of the throat or anywhere along the esophagus and stomach," Dr. Helfman explained. "It can cause damage like puncturing the tissue and it can cause infection and can require some intervention, surgical intervention."
Cleaning the grill is important, chiefly to prevent a fire. However, Dr. Helfman recommends using another tool other than a wire brush.
"I've seen different scrapers that they have instead of brushes," Dr. Helfman said. "I've seen stone scrapers that you can use, but yeah, you just want to stay away from those bristle brushes."
There are a couple other alternatives to wire brushes including a crumpled sheet of aluminum foil or an oiled paper towel.
Dr. Helfman says if you do feel something in the back of your throat, you should immediately seek out help.
