In the Los Angeles area (California, USA), 30,000 fast food joints belch out 19 tons of polluting organic compounds per day, as much as all the region's big oil refineries. To this brew, they add another 13.7 tons of smoke particles (very tiny stuff like dust) - nine times more than all the buses in the same area. These particles cause Los Angeles's famous haze and probably add to breathing problems (like asthma) and cancers. Char-grilling is the worst of all for this type of pollution. Fat drips off burgers onto the flames where it burns, spewing out clouds of particles and organic compounds. Frying is much less of a problem beause it cooks your food at a lower temperature.

New Scientist, 11/3/95, 5