Current Concepts towards the Health Hazards of BBQ Smoke and Newer Possibilities for Risk Mitigation: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The toxic and unhealthy effects of Barbecue (BBQ) smoke is well known. Incomplete combustion of energy sources such as charcoal and wood chips give rise to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as toluene and formaldehyde. They also give rise to particulate matter of small caliber e.g. PM25 that readily enter the pulmonary system. The net effect is a substantial risk of pulmonary diseases and possible carcinogenic effects. However, little progress has been made in terms of finding a way to cleanse the smoke of these potential hazards while at the same time preserving the ingredients of BBQ that prompt its use in the first place. Syringol and Guaiacol are two VOCs that provide the desirable smell and taste for the BBQ user. Here we review the progress to date of the steps that have been taken to solve this health concern and then propose a novel plan to execute differential scrubbing of BBQ smoke. It is suggested that activated carbon will preferentially adsorb more of the main body of VOCs than Syringol and Guaiacol simply because the latter two compounds are phenols which happen to be polar molecules. Activated carbon used for scrubbers is non-polar and tends to adsorb non-polar VOCs rather than polar VOCs. A pilot experiment was performed to exhibit the predicted differential adsorption. Smoke generated from an ordinary BBQ grill was allowed to be scrubbed by a high concentration that removed all VOCs including Syringol. The Syringol was monitored indirectly by an olfaction test. A 50% reduction in carbon concentration resulted in a dramatic differential reduction of the VOCs with a much greater adsorption of overall VOCs in comparison to Syringol. The results are encouraging in that this differential adsorption process does provide a potential to rid much of the toxic VOCs from common BBQ practice. Future studies are suggested including the design of a carbon scrubber system for the common BBQ grill.