"Acrylamide levels appear to rise as food is heated for longer periods of time. Though researchers are still unsure of the precise mechanisms by which acrylamide forms in foods, many believe it is a byproduct of the Maillard reaction. In fried or baked goods, acrylamide may be produced by the reaction between asparagine and reducing sugars (fructose, glucose, etc.) or reactive carbonyls at temperatures above 120 °C (248 °F).[5][6]"
Acrylamide may be linked to certain kinds of cancer, particularly bowel cancer. High doses of acrylamide have showed to cause nerve damage in people and cancer in animals . It's not entirely clear how much acrylamide in food is "too much", but overall the prospects sound risky to me . Different studies have varying results, but this Dutch study is worth a read:
"those who ate 40 micrograms of acrylamide a day - equivalent to half a pack of biscuits, a portion of chips or a single packet of crisps - were twice as likely to fall prey to these cancers compared with those who ate much less acrylamide. "
So beware French Fries, potato chips, breakfast cereals (!) , Cookies, canned black olives (different process also creates acrylamides in these) prune juice and coffee.
Just for fun, you can read about all sorts of creepy chemical contaminants at the FDA web site.
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