Health Alert: Consuming meats singed with car tyres can harm you

Singeing Meat with Car Tyres

A study by six scientists has found health risks linked to singeing meat with tyres in Ghana.

The research took place in five cities: Kumasi, Accra, Koforidua, Tamale, and Ho. The team measured a chemical called Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cattle and goat meats. They compared meats singed with firewood, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), and tyres.

Samples were collected mainly from abattoirs and analyzed at the Clinical Analysis Laboratory (Can-Lab) at KNUST. The results showed that tyre-singed meat contains more carcinogenic elements than other fuels.

Tyre-singed meats had Benzo[a]pyrene, a highly carcinogenic chemical formed during combustion. The study revealed that these meats had significantly higher PAH concentrations compared to those singed with firewood or LPG.

Specifically, tyre-singed cattle meat had 23.1 mg/kg of Benzo[a]pyrene, while goat meat had 12.16 mg/kg. Even after washing the meats, tyre-singed samples retained dangerous levels of carcinogens.

The researchers used two tests: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey HSD test. These tests confirmed that the type of fuel significantly affects PAH concentrations in the meat.

Statistical analysis showed a significant difference between LPG and tyre-singeing methods. The estimated daily intake (EDI) calculations indicated serious health risks from consuming tyre-singed meats.

These risks exceeded regulatory limits set by health authorities. The research was conducted by Prosper Manu Abdulai and colleagues and published in Sage Journal.