Laying Off the Lighter Fluid

  • There are alternative methods to starting your grill, other than lighter fluid (Source: Frettie at Wikimedia Commons)

Backyard grilling is a great American summertime tradition. But, there’s some concern about grilling contributing to air pollution. Lester Graham reports you can reduce the pollution… it all depends on what you use:

Transcript

Backyard grilling is a great American summertime tradition. But, there’s some concern about grilling contributing to air pollution. Lester Graham reports you can reduce the pollution… it all depends on what you use:

So, let’s say you’ve got your charcoal. And now you’re squirting it with lighter fluid to get the fire going.

“Oooo. (laugh) Well, lighter fluid contains something called volatile organic compounds and helps to form a pollutant called ground level ozone.”

Beth Gorman is with the the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality in Tuscon. She says that ozone contributes to smog.

“This is a bad thing that we don’t want to breathe.”

And, lighter fluid residue can end up getting on your grilled veggies or burgers.

Gorman suggests a charcoal chimney which can get your charcoal lighted in no time, or an electric charcoal starter.

If you’re thinking a gas grill pollutes less, experts say when you consider the total carbon footprint, charcoal wins because it comes from a renewable resource: trees.

For The Environment Report, I’m Lester Graham.

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