Have You Inspected Your Wire Barbecue Brush Lately?

Through repeated use, the wire brushes that many people use to clean their barbecues can lose their bristles. If ingested, these bristles can cause serious health problems.

OTTAWA -- Millions of Canadians enjoy using their barbecue, especially during the warm summer months. Through repeated use, the wire brushes that many people use to clean their barbecues can lose their bristles. If ingested, these bristles can cause serious health problems.

Also read, New Data Shows How Much Meat Canadians Eat.

What you should do

To minimize the risk of issues with your wire barbecue brush, you should:

• regularly inspect your brush for signs of damage;
• inspect grills and barbecued food for loose bristles;
• regularly replace your brush to help avoid problems associated with wear; and
• stop using your brush if bristles come loose or stick to the grill.

Report any incidents involving wire barbecue brushes to Health Canada and to the store that you purchased them from.

What Health Canada is doing
Health Canada is working with the Retail Council of Canada to commission the Standards Council of Canada to develop a voluntary standard for wire barbecue brushes. The voluntary standard will establish ways to reduce the risk that loose bristles will cause injuries to Canadians by defining safety criteria, such as labelling and testing, for these products.

Health Canada will continue to monitor this issue and will take action as required.

Report health and safety concerns
Health Canada advises consumers to check the Government of Canada's Recalls and Safety Alerts website regularly for any recalled products and to report any consumer product-related health or safety concerns.

SOURCE Health Canada