by Catherine Carter
Long holiday weekends and warm days are perfect for family outings. And what is a gathering without the tastes of summer? One of the mainstays of summer is backyard cooking, where grilling reigns.
Here is some information to help you avoid the hazards of grilling and make it a healthier option for you and the family.
What’s So Harmful About Grilling? 
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is a contaminant produced by grilling foods. These substances have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic (causing birth defects). Researchers have been unable to determine an acceptable exposure tolerance. Charbroiling releases higher amounts of emissions than does grilling. High fat hamburger meat was the biggest offender. But chicken and beef both had varying amounts of the compounds present.
How might I be exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)?
* Breathing air containing PAHs in the workplace of coking, coal-tar, and asphalt production plants; smokehouses; and municipal trash incineration facilities.
* Breathing air containing PAHs from cigarette smoke, wood smoke, vehicle exhausts, asphalt roads, or agricultural burn smoke.
* Coming in contact with air, water, or soil near hazardous waste sites.
* Eating grilled or charred meats; contaminated cereals, flour, bread, vegetables, fruits, meats; and processed or pickled foods.
* Drinking contaminated water or cow’s milk.
* Nursing infants of mothers living near hazardous waste sites may be exposed to PAHs through their mother’s milk.
Making Grilling Safer
- marinate steaks with herbs and spices with herbs such as basil, mint, sage, oregano, thyme and rosemary.
- researchers from Kansas State U, identified rosemary as having a protective antioxidant effect.
- grill at lower temperatures.
- use organic meat.
- use leaner cuts of meat.
- avoid inhaling the smoke as much as possible.
References:
J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2003 Feb;53(2):185-94
Emissions from charbroiling and grilling of chicken and beef
Adv Exp Med Biol. 1999;459:179-93
Food heating and the formation of heterocyclic aromatic amine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon mutagens/carcinogens.
ScienceDaily 24 May 2008. 24 May 2008 <http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/05/080521184129.htm>.
