To braai or not to braai

JOHANNESBURG: To braai or not to braai.

That was the question that researchers at North West University had to grapple with in a comprehensive yet fun study to clear many misconceptions ahead of Heritage Day tomorrow, also dubbed “Braai Day”.

The study was to establish if a traditional South African braai could have a negative impact on one’s health as well as the atmosphere. The answer was unambiguous: There is no problem with braai smoke going into the atmosphere, but you may have to be mindful of its (the braai’s) duration.

“Our findings were that, of the gases emitted in the atmosphere, there was no problem. They did not exceed SA’s air standards. The importance, however, is the duration of the braaiing. If it’s a short braai, there’s no concern as one’s exposure is limited,” said Pieter van Zyl, leader of the research, yesterday.

“However, if these short-term results are extrapolated to longer exposure periods, such as experi- enced by occupational vendors on a daily basis, it is evident that health-related risks significantly increase.”

To assess the impact of a typical South African braai, a comprehensive analysis of the spreading of atmospheric smoke and gases originating from a braai was conducted at the Welgegund atmospheric measurement station of the North West University.

The station is considered to be one of the most comprehensively equipped and advanced scientific atmospheric monitoring stations in Africa.

“We decided, why not combine science and fun? So we gathered all our post-grad students, bought four braai stands to braai, and captured the emissions from the braai, looking at different stages of braaiing, from the lighting of the fire, to the smouldering coal to the actual braai phase and then when the coals cooled off,” Van Zyl explained.

The team measured the levels of gaseous compounds such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide as well as organic compounds.