CDC warns against eating metal brush bristles from barbecuing

Be careful not to eat bristles from barbecue brushes with your next burger, said the CDC Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that a small but significant number of Americans are inhaling the brush bristles that get stuck to the grill – sometimes with deadly consequences.

According to CBS News, the wire grill-cleaning brush bristles can get stuck in food and then lodged into the throats of eaters.

The bristles have been found to puncture stomach and stab through soft neck tissue.

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There have been six cases of such ingestions in the last two years in one Rhode Island hospital, said Wired.

This has led officials to believe that the problem is much more common than previously thought.

The Los Angeles Times said that in issuing the warning, the CDC is trying to prevent future incidents while keeping doctors on the lookout for symptoms that may point to bristle ingestion.

The CDC issed the warning in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.