Anthracene

A three-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) built from fused benzene rings, occurring in coal tar and arising wherever organic matter burns incompletely. It reaches foods through smoke, charring, grilled and smoked products, and deposition from polluted air onto crops. Regulators monitor PAHs in smoked meats, oils and cereals, setting limits chiefly for the most carcinogenic congeners such as benzo[a]pyrene. Anthracene itself is less carcinogenic than those notorious relatives, but it serves analysts as a marker of PAH contamination generally. Control means managing smoking parameters, fuel choice and environmental deposition near production areas.