Hookah Pipe Dangers

It's a popular trend but one that may be more dangerous than what it replaces.

We are talking about the hookah pipe, sometimes known as a water pipe. It originated in the Middle East centuries ago but now is catching on here, especially with the high school and college age. By one estimate, from a study just published in the Journal of Pediatrics, about one in four from this age group has used a hookah in the last year.

The big concern is that this is replacing cigarettes because of widespread myths that it's healthier for you. With a hookah pipe, tobacco and flavoring are burned and pass through water before being inhaled. A lot of users think the smoke is safer to inhale since it went through water, so even those that wouldn't smoke a cigarette, for health reasons, have been smoking from a hookah pipe.
But the truth about its safety is just the opposite of what they think. Recent research has shown that hookahs expose a smoker to more smoke and carbon monoxide, along with similar amounts of nicotine, as cigarettes. By some estimates, a single session with a hookah is the same as smoking up to 10 cigarettes, that's half a pack. And hookah water pipes have been linked to lung cancer.

So remember, just because the tobacco goes through water and the smoke might be smoother than that of a cigarette, the dangers from a hookah pipe are at least the same, if not more.