There is information on the Internet both pro and con on charcoal grilling of meats increasing the risk for cancer. Most all agree, however, the moderation is the key word. Certainly you are not going to fire up the grill for steaks and burgers every day, nor all you going to be eating these risky foods that often.

There is some truth in most of the cancer scare rumor circulating in news groups; but there are many half truths being told as well. It's the overcooking, the charred parts that that's suspect and the suggestion here is not to overcook. Even food fried in a pan and allowed to overcook and get blackened around the edges also poses this risk, the experts say.

The chemical in question goes by the name heterocyclic amines and is caused when the high heat breaks down the amino acid creatinine. Even the smoke that circulates in and around the cooking meat may also add to the pollution of the meat and therefore add to the cancer risk.

The way to limit the risks is to not overcook the meat and to discard the charred part of the meat. And the recommendation is to eat more vegetables with the meal, thus cutting down on the amount of meat consumed. This is good all around common sense advice.

Another on line expert suggested that grilling is dirty and that the soot and hydrocarbons released contaminates the air and for those who already have lung problems and asthma this could be an aggravation. For these individuals, grilling would certainly be something they should not be doing. Eating the meat but staying away from the smoke and the soot is what I would recommend.

How alarmed should we be? We should not be alarmed but we should take note of the possible effects of overuse of charcoal grills. Probably we should use them less than most of us are using them and should use them for special fun occasions and not for general every other day use.

I read one suggestion that pre-cooking the meat first in the oven and then putting them on the grill for the last minute or two would cut down on the risk, but I would not do that. Part of the fascination of grilling is less dirty pots and pans to clean and this simply seems only doubling the trouble.

If this was the choice, personally I would wean myself off charcoal grills entirely. In fact, most of us would do well to consider eating less red meat since it is well known to cause colon cancer.

Cancer warnings and all kind of information and mis-information about the foods we eat fill up a good portion of the news hour on television. What we should strive for is sanity at all cost and sensible living. Certainly eating less meat is a good option for all who suffer from arthritis and other ailments that would benefit from more sensible diets.

Source:
http://straightdope.com/calcium/o40730.html
http://foodreference.com/html/achargrl-warn.html
http://health.discovery.com/centers/cancer/to10myt hs/myth2.htm

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