Government study links grilling and cancer;  media misreport story

July 26, 2001

The newest addition to the official list of cancer-causing agents is . . . barbecue?  

Veterans of real barbecue are often asked by others, "So, you like to barbecue.  But what's this I've heard?  That barbecue causes cancer?"

There are two separate stories here.  First, what is the science behind the fear about cancer and barbecue?  Second, have the media reported the science clearly and accurately?  Both these stories will be examined here.

Good news, bad news - an overview

Bad news:  scientists have found carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals and agents) in cooked meat.  Good news:  the meat was not barbecued but was grilled - charred in fact - at very high temperatures.

Good news:  authentic barbecue (low n slow) is much healthier than grilling (hot n fast).  Bad news:  the media confuse the public by saying that grilling is the same as barbecue.  Then the media compound the problem by reporting (accurately) that eating charred hamburger meat is safe, so the public "learns" that barbecue is unsafe but grilling is safe - which are the opposite conclusions from the science.

Science, barbecue and cancer

Summary

The U.S. government may add two new agents to its official list of carcinogens, and both are found in meat that has been grilled (in fact, "charred") at a very high temperature.

Studies have shown that the risk of stomach cancer is significantly higher among those who eat charred meat muscle,  However, the same studies indicate that fish and ground meat (as in hamburgers) do not produce these carcinogens when grilled at a high temperature.  In other words, fast-food hamburgers appear safe, but not charred steaks.

National Toxicology Program

Chemicals and other agents which are suspected of causing cancer are nominated by scientists to the National Toxicology Program every two years.  The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is a an interagency program headquartered at the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) located in Research Triangle Park, NC.  NTP staff evaluate the nominated chemicals and select some for further study, and a panel of specialists assesses the suspects for three years.  There are now 218 carcinogens on the NTP list.

NTP announcement

On July 24, 2001, a Press Release issed by NTP announced that it plans to review two substances formed in cooking for possible listing in the eleventh edition of the federal Report on Carcinogens, which will be published in 2004.

The NTP, which is headquartered at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, prepares such a report every two years.  The report is mandated by Congress to help ensure that substances or conditions that are likely to cause cancer are properly recognized by the public and regulatory agencies.  Substances may be listed as "known" or as "reasonably anticipated" human carcinogens.

The NTP's announcement of its plans, which was published in the Federal Register, asks the public and scientists to comment during the next 60 days on the nominations and to provide any data on whether they are carcinogenic, how much is produced, how they are used and in what ways people are exposed.  The NTP nominated a total of 16 agents, including two substances formed in cooking:

• 2-Amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (or MeIQ), a substance formed in food during heating or cooking and found in cooked meat and fish.
• Phenylimidazopyridine, which, like MeIQ, is formed in food during heating and cooking and is found in cooked meat and fish.