BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Studies show that eating a lot of red meat is bad for your health -- but cooking it may be hazardous as well.

Cooking fumes contain ultrafine particles that may cause lung damage, and a new study has suggested that gas heat may generate more of these chemicals than electric burners do.

Researchers in Norway simulated a standard restaurant kitchen and compared the results of cooking beef steaks using gas or electric heat. The stoves had proper ventilation hoods, but this did not stop the build-up of harmful chemicals during a day's worth of frying.

The highest levels of aldehyde -- a potential carcinogen - were detected during gas cooking, and gas heat also generated smaller particles, making it easier for the chemicals to enter into the lungs.

Researchers said those most affected would be professional chefs who spend long hours in a kitchen, but they also pointed out that kitchen fumes contain numerous chemicals that do not have established safety thresholds -- meaning that all cooks should reduce their exposure as much as possible.