re barbecued foods and health risk in article c mv v o world std com rsilver world std com richard silver writes some recent postings remind me that i had read about risks associated with the barbecuing of foods namely that carcinogens are generated is this a valid concern if so is it a function of the smoke or the elevated temperatures is it a function of the cooking elements wood or charcoal vs lava rocks i wish to know more thanks from the tufts university guide to total nutrition stanley gershoff ph d dean of tufts university school of nutrition harperperennial isbn the greatest hazard of barbecuing is that the cook will not use enough caution and get burned some people suggest that the barbecuing itself is dangerous because the smoke which is absorbed by the meat contains benzopyrene which in its pure form has been known to cause cancer in laboratory animals however in order to experience the same results people would have to consume unrealistically large quantities of barbecued meat at a time rich young these are not kodak s opinions
