As the weather warms and the sun comes out from behind the clouds, it’s nice to gather with friends and eat outdoors.
Many of us are fully prepped for the season of barbecue and outdoor dining. But while celebrating with your loved ones might sound like a wholesome activity, doctors have some words of warning.
To bring awareness to this problem, a doctor known as Dr Mike issued advice to his millions of followers on social media.
His guest Dr Beachgem said “metal wire grill brushes” are a tool you should be cautious of – and she cited an experience that put her off for life.
Using these brushes to clean your grill between uses may be efficient, but small pieces of the brush wire can break off and get into the food you’re cooking on the barbecue.
The health expert said: “If you swallow it, it can end up kind of anywhere from your lips, your tongue, all the way down… it can cause some pretty bad problems.”
This happened to several patients who had the wire lodged in their tonsils and intestines.
Dr Mike went on to point out that this is most likely not an issue people will think about when going to the hospital with tummy aches or vomiting, which may make it difficult for medical professionals to diagnose.
Following these scary experiences, Dr Beachgem urged everyone to find alternative ways to clean their barbecues that do not involve using the common metal wire brushes.
How to clean your barbecue
While metal wire brushes are great for scrubbing the barbecue wires and removing stubborn stains, there are several good alternatives you can use instead.
A classic sponge, like a Scrub Daddy, is often recommended as a good alternative. But if you want something similar to the wire brushes, you could look into a chainmail grill brush, which has the same metal effect but is designed so the wires won’t get stuck on your barbecue.
Then simply let the wire soak before using the brushes to scrub off any excess food or grease stains.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
