Burn surgeon explains common grilling mistakes and injuries

THANK YOU FIVE FOR YOUR HEALTH THIS MORNING FOR MANY OF US, SUMMER MEANS FIRE UP THE GRILL. AND WHY NOT? IT’S TASTY. IT’S FUN. BUT THERE ARE ALSO SOME IMPORTANT SAFETY REMINDERS TO KEEP THINGS THAT WAY. WE’RE JOINED BY DOCTOR JEREMY GOVERNMENT. SORRY, SIR. HE’S A SURGEON AT THE MASS GENERAL SUMNER REDSTONE. BURN CENTER. DOCTOR. GOVERNMENT. GOOD MORNING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. SO HERE’S A NUMBER THAT’S Caught Our Viewer’s Attention Every Year: Almost 20,000 Patients End Up In The EMERGENCY ROOM FOR GRILL RELATED INJURIES. WHAT TYPE OF INJURIES EXACTLY ARE WE SAYING ARE THE MOST COMMON? WELL, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE MOST COMMON INJURIES ARE BURNS. AND THESE ARE BURNS FROM HOT SURFACES OR HOT COOKWARE. BUT THERE ARE OTHER INJURIES. SECOND WOULD BE, UH, CUTS AND LACERATIONS FROM KNIVES AND GRILLS. AND THEN THERE’S THE WHOLE ISSUE OF FOOD POISONING FROM UNDERCOOKED MEAT OR POOR FOOD HANDLING. YOU SAID IT. YOU MENTIONED IT A MOMENT AGO. BURNS ARE ONE OF THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS WITH GRILLING. TELL US ABOUT THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES THAT PEOPLE MAKE AND HOW WE CAN PREVENT THEM. UM, SO THE MOST COMMON THING, UH, IS NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE GRILL. CORRECT. LEAVING THE GRILL UNATTENDED. UH, SO IT’S VERY IMPORTANT TO STAY NEAR THE GRILL AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE A SOBER, RESPONSIBLE ADULT. UH, YOU KNOW, ALCOHOL IS A HUGE CONTRIBUTOR TO BURNS. UH, SO A SOBER ADULT IS KEY. ALSO, USING THE WRONG UTENSILS, TRYING TO USE THE WRONG UTENSIL OR A SHORT HANDLE. SO, YOU REALLY WANT TO HEAR THAT YOU WANT TO USE A LONG-HANDLED, UH, HEAT-RESISTANT TOOL. USE THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB. UH, WEARING THE WRONG CLOTHING. UH, OFTEN PEOPLE WILL WEAR BAGGY OR FLAMMABLE CLOTHING WHEN THEY WANT TO WEAR TIGHT-FITTING CLOTHING. NO LOOSE SLEEVES. NO DRAWSTRINGS, AND A STURDY APRON IS OPTIMAL. UH, AND EVEN SOME GLOVES. AND LASTLY, THE OTHER PROBLEM IS, UM, IMPROPER LIGHTING TECHNIQUE. AND THAT CAN HAPPEN WITH BOTH GAS AND CHARCOAL. WITH A GAS GRILL, ALWAYS OPEN THE LID, THEN LIGHT IT, THEN LIGHT IT. NEVER CLOSE THE LID. LET THE GAS BUILD UP BECAUSE THAT CAN RESULT IN AN EXPLOSION. AND WITH CHARCOAL, EITHER YOU USE TOO MUCH LIGHTER FLUID IN THE FIRST PLACE AND YOU GET A FLASH, OR YOU DON’T USE ENOUGH. And then trying to add lighter fluid afterward, um, so you wanna make sure you’re doing that right, like with, uh, with the GAS GRILL, you know, use the manufacturer’s instructions a little bit more on that. DO DIFFERENT GRILLS COME WITH A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SET OF RISKS, LIKE MORE FOR GAS OR CHARCOAL? CHARCOAL. YES. IN GENERAL, um, I THINK THERE’S MORE GAS GRILLS. SO WE SEE MORE GAS INJURIES. BUT THEY BOTH HAVE um, THEY BOTH HAVE SOME SIMILAR RISKS WITH, WITH, IGNITION. LIKE I SAID, QUICK BURNS FROM EXPLOSIONS. UH, THEY COULD BE DUE TO PROPANE OR IMPROPER USE OF LIGHTER FLUID. UMM WITH WITH WITH CHARCOAL. YOU ALSO HAVE THE ADDED RISK OF CARBON MONOXIDE, WHICH IS PRODUCED WHEN CHARCOAL BURNS. SO IT’S COLORLESS, ODORLESS. YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE DOING IT IN A WELL-VENTILATED SPACE. UMM, SOUNDS OBVIOUS, RIGHT? BUT, UH, NEVER USE IT IN A HOME. NEVER, EVER BURN CHARCOAL IN A HOME OR IN A TENT OR IN A VEHICLE OR IN A HOOD. ALWAYS MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE IN A WELL-VENTILATED AREA AND ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH CHARCOAL IS IMPROPER DISPOSAL OF IT. WHEN YOU’RE DONE GRILLING, UM, IT ACTUALLY TAKES ABOUT 48 HOURS WITH THE LID CLOSED FOR THE CHARCOAL TO COOL COMPLETELY. UM, AND THEN YOU WANT TO PUT THEM IN A METAL CAN OR WRAP THEM IN FOIL BEFORE YOU THROW THEM AWAY. UM, THERE HAVE BEEN, YOU KNOW, REPORTS OF HOUSE FIRES EVEN AFTER WAITING 24 HOURS. IF YOU THINK COALS ARE COOL AND THERE’S NOT THAT MANY OF THEM, PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT IT’S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM. MAYBE THEY CAN CUT IT, TAKE A LITTLE SHORTCUT AND THEY’LL BE FINE. AND THAT’S NOT TRUE. DO YOU WANT TO FOLLOW THAT ADVICE, DOCTOR? JEREMY, GOVERNMENT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING. THANK YOU. THERMOMETERS. GOOD TOO.

Each year, nearly 20,000 patients end up in emergency rooms for grill-related injuries. Dr. Jeremy Goverman, a surgeon at the MGH Sumner Redstone Burn Center, explains the most common injuries.

BOSTON —

Each year, nearly 20,000 patients end up in emergency rooms for grill-related injuries. Dr. Jeremy Goverman, a surgeon at the MGH Sumner Redstone Burn Center, explains the most common injuries.

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