In Arizona, cooking outside with my gas grill is possible year round. Until I became physically unable to grill chicken, steaks, burgers, and pork chops, I did just that; I grilled something on my gas grill as often as 5 days a week. In winter it was chilly, but the grill and my electric heater kept me comfortable the whole time. In summer, I still grilled, but I turned the patio ceiling fan on “High” and grilled things things that were quick. It’s not pleasant standing by a 400° grill in 110° ambient air.
All these many years, I gave little or no attention to the smoke coming from the grill and “gosh- knows-what” chemicals, poisons, or carcinogens that were in the smoke. It made my eyes sting so what else might it be affecting? I really didn’t know or give it much thought.
Then, this week, Medscape had an article titled, “Gas vs. Charcoal: Which Barbecue Causes Less Harm.” HARM? What harm? From grilling? You bet!
Well, it turns out there are several harmful things that come from grilling with charcoal, and less so with gas. Cooking foods, particularly meats, at high temperatures can lead to the formation of “harmful chemical compounds.” The two main chemicals are:
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH’s)
Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines (HAA’s)
Fats dripping onto the flames produce PAH’s. My references say PAH’s “do not present a carcinogenic risk,” but their presence in the air and in the foods grilled pose a “concern that deserves attention.” Inhaling HAA’s and PAH’s, and ingesting foods grilled in their environment, exposes people to contaminants and harmful particulate emissions that over time, may have adverse outcomes.
Another potential harm grilling causes is a result of cooking salty or acidic foods wrapped in aluminum foil. Aluminum leaching occurs in this situation, and it may pose long term health risks. Food being grilled should not come in direct contact with aluminum trays and foil. Food should be separated from aluminum by wrapping baking paper around it. Aluminum toxicity is rare, but it harms the kidneys and leads to muscle weakness, bone pain, cognitive impairment, and anemia. I can’t quote stats for aluminum toxicity from grilling, but it seems to me this is not that much of a concern.
Avoiding toxins from grilling is helped by raising the grate above the coals, placing grill paper between food and foil especially if the food is salty, marinated or acidic. “Marinating with garlic, rosemary, thyme, or cayenne may reduce HAA’s by 74%.”
The biggest risk outdoor grillers face is accidental burns of the hands, arms, and face due to carelessness and unexpected flares of the flames. Common sense and caution are the solutions here. Gas and electric grills are safer than charcoal grills. They produce fewer PAH’s and have more easily controlled heat and temperature.
I did not find any data on serious harms that come from grilling. If there were, summer fun would suffer greatly and a big industry would take a hit.
Breathing smoke from your patio grill isn’t killing us. It doesn’t have the impact that breathing coal dust (coal miner’s lung (anthracosis)), cigarette smoke (COPD, lung cancer), or asbestos (asbestosis, mesothelioma) have. All of these exposures are fatal. Use caution when you’re grilling—minimize smoke exposure. Back away and stay a safe distance from harm. Those burgers and steaks will still taste great.
References: Haidlauf N. Gas vs Charcoal: Which Barbecue Causes Less Harm Medscape 2025 July 22.
Jelonek Z, Drobniak A, Mastalerz M, Jelonek I. Environmental implications of the quality of charcoal briquettes and lump charcoal used for grilling. Sci Total Environ 2020 Dec 10;747:141267.
Han T, et al. Raw to charred: Changes of precursors and intermediates and their correlation with heterocyclic amines formation in grilled lamb. Meat Sci 2023 Jan;195:108999.
Gholami-Borujeni F, et al. Assessing health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in cooked fish using Monte Carlo simulation: a global review and meta-analysis. J Environ Health Sci Eng 2024 Oct 5;22(2):425-438.
