Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Rethinking cleaning your grill with a wire brush.

Daily Mail: Why you should NEVER clean your grill with a wire brush: Doctor reveals 'life-saving' tip she learned from handling BAFFLING case of a four-year-old boy with mystery illness.

A pediatric emergency doctor has warned about the dangers of wire grill brushes after a four-year-old boy presented a mysterious illness when he ingested metal pieces from one.
[.]
Most recently, the doctor shared a cautionary tale in a viral video, which garnered over 34.1 million views, about 'one of the most interesting cases' she has ever encountered involving a young boy who symptoms began with ear pain following a backyard barbeque. 

Despite many tests, doctors were unable to find the reasoning behind the child's symptoms and sent him off. But, when the four-year-old boy became more ill, Dr. [Meghan] Martin stepped in and discovered the culprit was a brush used to clean your grill and warned others about the 'lesson that could save your life.'
[.]
... after the tests came back, doctors had found the cause.

'We got our answer on the CAT scan. He had about a two centimeter metal wire that was lodged in the peritonsillar on the right and he'd started to develop an abscess around it,' she explained.

The doctor explained that the boy at[e] a hamburger at the barbecue and had swallowed metal wires from a grill brush that was lodged in the meat

Luckily, surgeons were able to remove the wire and drain the abscess, and the young boy's pain 'was totally resolved.'

Now, the doctor is making it her mission to warn others about the dangers of metal wire grill brushes.
[.]
'Do not use grill brushes with metal wires,' she said, explaining that the wires can become stuck in the soft tissues of the throat and can even cause bowel obstructions if accidentally swallowed.

Although incidents with metal wire brushes are rare, they have become exceedingly more common in recent years.
[.]
Instead of using a wire grill brush, experts recommend opting for non-wire brush, or a cleaning block, stone, or grill floss to keep your grill clean and avoid any trips to the emergency room.

Wednesday's Friday Morning Music Video

"Model Citizen," by Alice Cooper, from 1980's Flush the Fashion.