Use of scrap tires for smoking meat in developing countries: Public health concerns

Unlicensed workers in unmonitored slaughterhouses in developing countries (such as Ghana and Nigeria) are known to frequently use an open fire, set with scraps of automobile tires, to singe the hair of slaughtered goats and cattle before eating or cooking. This is a huge potential health risk because automobile tires are made of chemicals and materials that, when released into the environment under ambient conditions (e.g., open fire burning), can release hazardous chemicals onto the meat and into the ambient environment. Some examples of such pollutants are particulate matter, volatile organic compound (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Such chemicals or particulates, when released into the ambient air, may be inhaled or ingested, and could pose severe health hazards to the public or workers in and around the slaughterhouses. Our main objectives in this presentation are to discuss: 1) the chemicals present in the tires used as fuel sources for cooking/smoking meat, 2) the pollutants emitted by these practices, 3) the types and levels of contaminants in the meat, and 4) the potential adverse health effects associated with using scrap tires to smoke or cook meat and other foodstuffs. We also highlight our current research activities in West Africa related to these practices, as well as some preliminary findings. We anticipate that this presentation will heighten the awareness of these practices as a potential health risk in developing countries around the world and stimulate further scientific investigations into this food and environment-related issue.