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 i ve read mixed opinions on this singed meat can contain carcinogens but unless you eat barbecued meat every meal you re probably not at much risk i think i will live life on the edge and grill my food i ve also read that using petroleum based charcoal starter can put some unwanted toxins in your food or at least unwanted odor i ve been using egg carton cups dipped in paraffin for fire starters and it actually lights faster and easier than lighter fluid several people have told me that they have excellent results with a chimney basically a steel cylinder with wholes punched in the side i ve been meaning to get one of these but one hasn t presented itself while i ve been out shopping you can make one from a coffee can but i buy my coffee as whole beans in a bag so i haven t had a big enough can laying around jason c austin j c austin larc nasa gov
