The other thing I worry about is the plastic touching the hot grates or edge - that's why the standard Weber brush is wooden. Anyone who cleans their grille properly should realize that the bristles do fall out, especially when scrubbing. I have never seen them remain on the grates if cleaned properly.

Went from the cast iron to the larger 9mm dia stainless this summer - way better and easier to clean.

Sad to hear about the kid and others with the lodged bristle issue; but my feeling is this is more societal ballwashing and nannystate legislation rather than a real issue. Common sense and proper cleaning of food preparation surfaces is not rocket science, unless you don't clean your frying pan and wonder why your eggs taste like last weeks salmon.