Summertime means good weather, beach parties, and barbecued food. A new study, however, may put a damper on those who are looking forward to a burger or hot dog fresh off the grill.

A team of researchers in China suggests that standing too close to a grill can expose a person's body to harmful cancer chemicals.

Deadly BBQ

The study suggests that these harmful chemicals can get under a person's skin. The chemicals are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and can be produced through the burning of organic substances, such as wood, coal, or gasoline.

They also are formed when meats are cooked using "high-temperature" methods such as pan-frying or grilling. In the past, studies focused on the exposure of PAHs through food or air; however, this study discovered that people absorbed higher levels of PAHs by sitting around the grill. The greatest levels of exposure to PAHs is through consuming barbecued meat the study noted.

The researchers of the study collected data from 20 men who attended a barbecue for 2.5 hours in Guangzhou, China.

The participants of the study were divided into three groups: one group that ate barbecued food and took no precaution to avoid smoke through the air or through their skin; the second group did not eat any meat but was exposed to the smoke through the air and through skin; and the third group who did not eat any meat and wore special masks to avoid inhaling smoke but their skin was still exposed to it.

The Results

The researchers collected urine samples from the participants before and after the barbecue. They also collected samples from the air during the barbecue to analyze for PAHs and calculated the estimates of each participants uptake of PAHs through food, their skin, and the air. The researchers confirmed that the highest exposure of PAHs was through the consumption of meat.

The second to the highest was through skin followed by inhalation. The study also showed that people's clothing may help lower the amount of PAHs exposure at barbecues. The researchers suggest wearing long sleeve shirts and pants would be best; however, the clothing could become saturated with smoke, which would also expose the skin to PAHs. Immediately washing any clothing worn at a barbecue prevents that from happening.

Dr. Kenneth Spaeth, the chief of occupational and environmental medicine at Northwell Health in Great Neck, New York, commented that these new findings shouldn't cause too much worry as many people don't engage in barbecuing often. Spaeth did note that the amount of smoke a person is exposed to should be moderate.

"For the average person, it's not likely to end up being a real major worry, since most people don't engage in this activity all the time," Spaeth stated. Spaeth was not a part of the study.