Hooked on Hookah?

Hookah bars are popping up in coffe shops and cafés all over the globe. It seems that more and more young people are inhaling fruit-flavored tobacco through water pipes—also known as hookahs, narghiles, and shishas—and thinking it’s cool, fun, harmless, and maybe even a little funky. The truth is that hookah smoke, like all tobacco, is full of deadly chemicals, including 36 times more tar, 15 times more carbon monoxide, and 70 percent more nicotine than a cigarette. Hookah smoking is a dangerous toxic blast.

What Are The Dangers Of Hookah Smoking?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health effects of hookah smoking include:

• Lots of toxicants known to cause lung cancer, heart disease, oral cancer, and esophageal and gastric carcinoma.
• Five times the likelihood of showing signs of gum disease than nonsmokers.
• Decreased fertility.
• Increased risk of transmitting tuberculosis, herpes, hepatitis, and other illnesses from sharing the mouthpiece.

Candy-Flavored Tobacco

Unlike regular tobacco products, hookah tobacco comes in a variety of flavors, including apple, mint, and strawberry. These sweet flavors mask the immediate harsh effect of tobacco and make it more tolerable, especially to young people who want to experiment.

But the Smoke Goes Through the Water

When you hear the smoke gurgling in the hookah, you might begin to believe the myth that the water actually filters or cleans the smoke. Not true. Every risk of cigarette smoking is also associated with water pipes. The smoke may taste different than a regular cigarette, but it still contains the same toxic chemicals and nicotine, the addictive substance in tobacco.

Would You Smoke a Carton or Two of Cigarettes in an Hour?

Hookah users inhale more tobacco smoke than cigarette smokers because they take such big drags and usually hold it in their lungs for a longer period of time. According to a World Health Organization advisory, a typical 1-hour session of hookah smoking exposes the smoker to 100–200 times the amount of smoke inhaled from one cigarette!

Smoke Gets in Their Eyes (and lungs and heart and pancreas)

While it may be tempting to tell people who are bothered by tobacco smoke to get over themselves, it is more than a personal nuisance—secondhand smoke contains toxic chemicals and nicotine that harms other people.

Smoke Out the Truth

Now that you know the facts, you can make an informed decision. Avoid the health risks of hookah smoking, and don’t give into a trend. This is one fad that you can live without!