Noah Walden is advocating for people to discontinue the use of metal grill brushes after a bristle from one of these brushes ended up in his burger, leading to a bowel incision during emergency surgery.
The teenager from Minnesota found himself in the hospital following a family barbecue on Memorial Day. He has since advised, “do a lot of chewing when you’re grilling,” to ensure safety.
After the gathering, Walden began experiencing sharp abdominal pain, prompting his parents to rush him to the hospital late at night.
In an interview with WCCO, Walden recounted the event: “I had two burgers, and my guess is one of them had the grill bristle in it, and I swallowed it. But when I got up, I couldn’t lay back down. It was just so much pain.”
He explained that he neither tasted nor felt the tiny bristle, which ultimately necessitated the removal of a portion of his bowel during emergency surgery.
This incident occurred in the wake of a recall of over 13 million metal grill brushes, triggered by incidents where consumers ingested bristles and required medical care.
A CT scan revealed the bristle lodged in his bowel, with medical professionals noting it had punctured his intestine.
Walden had to endure four days in the hospital before surgery was deemed necessary.
After this distressing event, his mother, Amie Walden, has issued a cautionary message to those planning summer barbecues: “Get rid of your metal grill bristle brushes.”
Amie further explained that a section of her son’s bowel had to be removed, necessitating a six-inch incision on his abdomen.
Reflecting on the surgery, Walden expressed relief: “I’m just kind of glad that, you know, I could get it over with and eventually be done with this ongoing pain.”
Following the incident, grill manufacturer Nexgrill issued a statement: “Small metal wire bristles can detach from the brushes and stick to the grill or food, posing an ingestion hazard or risk of serious internal injuries that could require surgery.”
They continued, “There have been a limited number of reported injury incidents associated with these grill brushes.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, we made the proactive decision to voluntarily recall these brushes.”
“Nexgrill strongly urges customers to stop using the affected brush models immediately and to participate in our voluntary recall.”