Hookah
HEALTH RISKS OF HOOKAH USER
- Risks depend on the duration and frequency of use
- Wide variation in the content of the different brands of hookah tobacco may increase risk
CONSTITUENTS OF HOOKAH SMOKE
- Evidence shows that hookah smoking is not a safe alternative to cigarette smoking.
- Hookah smoke has been found to contain high concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), nicotine, “tar”, and heavy metals
- Commonly used heat sources like charcoal or wood cinders may increase health risks because they produce such toxicants as CO, metals, and carcinogens
- Risks may be increased by using quick-burning charcoal which likely emits more CO than the charcoal traditionally used in the Middle East.
HEALTH EFFECTS
- Health problems identified by researchers in the Middle East, China, and India include lung, oral and bladder cancer, and cancer of the esophagus and stomach
- Other health risks include nicotine dependence and infections like tuberculosis, herpes, and hepatitis
- Viral infections can be transmitted through the sharing of the same mouthpiece; a common custom in many cultures
AWARENESS, ATTITUDES AND MISPERCEPTIONS
- There is a widespread misperception that hookah smoking is safe.
- Studies conducted in Egypt, Israel, and Syria have found that in general, people know little about its health effects and believe that it is less harmful than cigarette smoking
- Another common misperception among hookah users is that they will not suffer any adverse consequences if they smoke occasionally rather than daily like most cigarette smokers
- Yet even occasional users could be harmed because they probably inhale lot of smoke full of toxic substances during smoking sessions that typically last for 45 minutes to over an hour (both directly and through secondhand smoke)
1st July 2008, Hookah
Retrieved [1st July 2008] From the Web: Bacchus & Gamma Hookah White Papers
