COLUMBUS -- As Americans dust off their grills, a little-known danger has crept into the headlines because of a Seattle teenager who underwent surgery after he unknowingly ate a grill brush bristle.
"It was pretty violent, it hurt really bad," 16-year-old Tristin Beck said, who swallowed the bristle after it became attached to his food.
The Centers for Disease Control issued a 2012 warning about the swallowing of grill brush bristles following six reported cases in Rhode Island.
Dr. David Evans, a trauma surgeon at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center, has operated on patients who have accidentally, or purposefully, swallowed a variety of foreign objects. Although he hasn't seen any cases of grill bristles being swallowed, he told our sister station, ABC 6/FOX 28, he can see how doing so could cause problems in a person's digestive system.
"If it gets caught, because it's sharp, it can penetrate through the bowel and create a perforation," Dr. Evans said.
Experts say the human digestive system can handle many things, but once the object's size approaches 4 centimeters, a person will start experiencing signs that something is wrong.
"They should be looking out for pain in their neck or their abdomen, and/or problems swallowing saliva," Dr. Evans said.
Grill cooks are reminded to constantly check wire or metal brushes for loose bristles, and to check grill grates after cleaning. Also, grill users are advised to replace brushes if damage is discovered.
Tristin Beck is expected to make a full recovery. He's stayed level-headed about his experience.
"I have really bad luck, because of this one-in-a-million thing (that happened) to me, but I also had really good luck because they found it so early, and I have really good doctors who got me into the operating room and got it out," Beck said.
"It was pretty violent, it hurt really bad," 16-year-old Tristin Beck said, who swallowed the bristle after it became attached to his food.
The Centers for Disease Control issued a 2012 warning about the swallowing of grill brush bristles following six reported cases in Rhode Island.
Dr. David Evans, a trauma surgeon at Ohio State's Wexner Medical Center, has operated on patients who have accidentally, or purposefully, swallowed a variety of foreign objects. Although he hasn't seen any cases of grill bristles being swallowed, he told our sister station, ABC 6/FOX 28, he can see how doing so could cause problems in a person's digestive system.
"If it gets caught, because it's sharp, it can penetrate through the bowel and create a perforation," Dr. Evans said.
Experts say the human digestive system can handle many things, but once the object's size approaches 4 centimeters, a person will start experiencing signs that something is wrong.
"They should be looking out for pain in their neck or their abdomen, and/or problems swallowing saliva," Dr. Evans said.
Grill cooks are reminded to constantly check wire or metal brushes for loose bristles, and to check grill grates after cleaning. Also, grill users are advised to replace brushes if damage is discovered.
Tristin Beck is expected to make a full recovery. He's stayed level-headed about his experience.
"I have really bad luck, because of this one-in-a-million thing (that happened) to me, but I also had really good luck because they found it so early, and I have really good doctors who got me into the operating room and got it out," Beck said.
