Effects of Gas Grill Smoke on Health

Many Americans enjoy grilling during warm weather, not only to save on energy bills, but to enjoy the outdoors with friends and family and for healthy, low-fat cooking. However, smoke produced while cooking on gas or charcoal grills can cause major health risks like cancer. Smoke from grilling can also cause dangers inside of your home and around increased sources of oxygen.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

• Use your gas or charcoal grill outside, never in your home. Cooking with your grill indoors create carbon monoxide (CO) which you cannot see or smell but it will kill you in minutes at high levels.

  Some of the symptoms of moderate CO poisoning include dizziness, nausea, severe headaches, mental confusion and death. Symptoms of low CO levels look like the flu or food poisoning and include mild nausea, shortness of breath and mild headaches.

  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests you immediately get fresh air if you have any of these symptoms by opening your windows and doors, turning your grill or stove off and getting out of your house. Get emergency care, letting healthcare workers know you think you have CO poisoning.

  Prevent CO poisoning by never using your gas or charcoal grill inside of your home, even if you put it in your fireplace.

Carcinogens

• When you grill your meat and seafood at high temperatures for long periods of time, the chemical carcinogens produced can lead to cancer. In fact, the American Cancer Association states inhaling the smoke from or eating well-done, charred meat regularly "may increase your risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 60%, according to findings from a [2009] University of Minnesota study..."

  The high temperatures create polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) which happens when the fat drips from the meat into the flames, producing smoke and heterocyclic amines (HAs), which damage your DNA and can cause stomach and colon cancers. As the smoke rises, the PAHs rise also and get into the meat. The more charred and blackened the meat, the more PAHs and HAs it contains.

  Avoid getting PAHs by grilling with lean cuts of meat, which means eliminate or limit all fatty meats like sausages or ribs. Do not eat any blackened bits of meat or vegetables, which can also have high amounts of PAHs. Keep the smoke from depositing on fish by wrapping the fish in aluminum foil on the grill. When grilling, keep all meat portions small and fill up on more vegetables and fruits. Use a meat thermometer while grilling to avoid over-cooking. Grill vegetable protein burgers as an alternative to meat.

Home Oxygen

• If you or a loved one depends on home oxygen, keep all flames and smoke, including from gas or charcoal grills, away from the oxygen equipment. Fire needs a fuel to burn, namely oxygen (O2), making home oxygen very dangerous. As pure O2, home oxygen can ignite if one using it sits or stands near the burning grill, resulting in serious burns, including facial burns. An oxygen tank can also explode, causing a major fire.

  During 2003 through 2006, about 1,190 burns occurred each year due to home oxygen equipment ignited by smoke and fire. Eighty-nine percent of people using home oxygen received facial burns, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).