Washington Man Accidentally Eats Steel Bristle During BBQ

July 12, 2012

A Tacoma, Wash., man needed emergency surgery after accidentally eating a steel bristle from a grill brush he used during a barbeque.

KING 5 reports that Adam Wojtanowicz went to the hospital Sunday complaining of abdominal pain that wouldn’t go away despite his taking medication. Doctors found a metal bristle on a CT scan and performed surgery to get it out.

Wojtanowicz says he recently hosted a cookout, and he thinks a steel bristle from his grill brush fell onto his steak. He says he apparently swallowed the metal without realizing it.

The Centers for Disease Control says it knows of at least six people who have recently suffered similar, potentially fatal, injuries. It doesn’t blame a particular brand or type of brush.

Wojtanowicz is expected to recover.