With grilling being so popular among the American population, awareness of the dangers posed by carcinogens in meats has become a pertinent subject. Since 1970, we have known leaving beef, pork, fowl, and fish cooking at high temperatures causes heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These forms of cancer can be produced at a relatively low temperature of 3000F, when our grills can reach up to 7000F, or more, within minutes. At such high temperatures, meat becomes burnt, and unhealthy for consumption quickly. HCA’s are formed when amino acids and sugars react at a high temperature to create an energy boost that later may become cancerous. One of the cancer causing boosts is called harmane and causes shaking of the arms, head, jaw, and voice and can be found in 20 times more people than Parkinson’s disease. PAH’s, on the other hand, can be found when fuels such as oil, coal, tar, and wood are burned. They are even usually removed from vehicle exhaust because they are so harmful. In food, they are found when the fat and juices from the meat drip onto the red hot coals or splash plates, causing a flame to form. When this flame makes contact with the meat, the PHA’s in the flame go onto the meat. After eating the meat, HCA’s and PAH’s alter the DNA in body cells, increasing susceptibility to cancer. When experimenting with rodents, scientists found those that were fed with HCA and PAH in their food developed tumors; however, the amount of HCA and PAH the rodents were given was disproportional to the amount the average human can consume. But even without the rodent information, people who ate medium to well-done beef were 3 times more likely to suffer from stomach cancer than those who prefer rare or medium-rare beef. Also men who consumed 3 grams of well-done meat had a 40% higher chance of getting prostate cancer. Even though World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research issued a release in 2007 asking people to cut down on red meats and smoked food in general, they failed to mention PAH’s or HCA’s and the later damage caused by cancer. The statement these institutes made did not make the American population completely aware of the cancerous high risks and really should have. Some helpful tips for avoiding consumption of HCA’s and PAH’s to the best of our ability is eating protein packed food such as tofu and marinating meats for at least 6 hours before grilling would decrease levels of HCA’s and PAH’s dramatically as well as only using the ends of grills which remain at 2200F. We need to be more careful with our lives even at the cost of our appetites.
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