Safety Alert: Why Indiana and Kentucky Grillers Should Ditch Wire Grill Brushes
Grilling season is in full swing, but it's time to toss out this old-school cleaning tool for something safer.
Grilling Safety
Summertime is finally here, and it's the time of year we are all spending much more time outdoors. Many summertime activities take place around a grill, and it's easy to see why, grilled food just tastes better! But when grilling you want to make sure you do so safely, when working around an open flame there are a few things you'll want to be aware of before firing up the grill this summer.
According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, in 2022 there were over 5-thousand injuries caused by grills that landed folks in the emergency room. So if you're grilling you want to make sure to take the proper precautions to avoid injury.
Outdoor cooking and grilling are popular summer activities, and while fun and enjoyable, they can also be dangerous if not done with safety in mind. On average, 13 deaths occur every year, and in 2022, there were 5,400 ER-treated injuries associated with grills, burns being the most common.
Common grilling hazards include fires, burns, and carbon monoxide poisoning.
Another lesser-known danger when it comes to grills is how you clean them. Did you know wire grill brushes can actually be very dangerous?
Throw Out Your Wire Grill Brushes
Wire grill brushes are brushes used for cleaning grill grates, and the bristles are made up of hundreds of small metal wires. While this tool may do a good job at cleaning your grill, it is notorious for leaving small metal wires behind that could end up in your food. According to ConsumerReports.org, an estimated 1,700 Americans went to the ER from 2002-2014 after accidentally ingesting wire bristles that made their way into their grilled food.
Just a few summers ago a woman in New Albany, Indiana had to have emergency surgery to remove a metal grill brush bristle that had gotten into her food and then subsequently got stuck in her throat. This is just one of countless stories like this on the internet that you can find with a simple Google search.
It's just not worth it to deal with the potential risks, so the Consumer Products Safety Commission recommends cleaning your grill with balled-up aluminum foil or a nylon brush.