The past few years have seen the old hookah make a comeback. Many individuals, especially college students have taken a preference to the hookah. While the number of teens smoking cigarettes has decreased, increase in the number of individuals opting for alternate forms of smoking like hookah is a cause for concern.
What is a Hookah?
A hookah is a water pipe used for smoking specially made (and often) flavored tobacco. It comes with different names – “models”, if you will – including narghile, shisha, goza, hubble-bubble, argileh and the most common one: waterpipe. The smoke is usually inhaled from a tobacco bowl and is cooled inside a water chamber before reaching the mouth.
Prevalent in India and the Middle East, the hookah is a comparatively recent contraption for the developed countries. The activity is usually done in groups, with individuals taking turns to smoke from the same pipe as they pass it around.
Misconceptions and risks of hookah smoking
To their own detriment, people hold several misconceptions about the hookah. Many consider it to be a healthier alternative to cigarette smoking. They even consider it to be a harmless way of getting nicotine into the body. As such, those who leave cigarette smoking for hookah smoking believe that they are taking a wise decision by doing so. They cannot be more wrong though!
- Same level of toxicity as cigarette smoking
In contrast to the popular notion, hookah smoking is as toxic and dangerous as cigarette smoking. Hookah smoke is said to contain almost all of the harmful toxins one can find in cigarette smoke. The water in the hookah also serves to act only as a coolant and not a filter. Hence, a person smoking a hookah will no doubt inhale the same amount of toxins as the person who smokes cigarettes, perhaps even more.
- Increased exposure to tobacco smoke
Studies have revealed that hookah smoking can in fact increase an individual’s exposure to tobacco smoke. The reason being; the person has to inhale deeper while smoking hookah. And each hookah session lasts for about an hour, meaning one hour of exposure to tobacco smoke.
- Increased exposure to toxic chemicals
The long duration of a hookah session also increases an individual’s risk of exposure to toxic ingredients, most of which would also be present in cigarette smoke. Some of these ingredients include tar,heavy metals and carbon monoxide. Some hookah pipes are also known to contain very high levels of uranium and lead which can be potentially life threatening.
- Increased risk of cancer
Hookah utilizes charcoal to heat the tobacco. This charcoal produces a smoke that is overladen with carbon monoxide, lethal metals and dangerous chemicals. Exposure to these toxins can increase the risk of cancer manifold.
- Increased risk of vector borne diseases
Hookah pipes are shared between many individuals. This leads to an increased risk of vector borne diseases like tuberculosis, herpes and hepatitis, etc. There are also chances of the pipes not being cleaned and disinfected properly after use. Which means even an individual enjoying a solo session can stand chances of contracting a communicable disease from the person who use the hookah before him.
Educating youth about the dangers of hookah smoking
It is imperative that measures are taken to educate today’s youth of the dangers of hookah smoking. Some of these include introducing safety standards and regulations for hookahs and tobacco, eradicating misleading labels promoting health and safety, and prohibition of hookahs in bars and other places where cigarette smoking is prevalent.
Parents should take the initiative to talk to their teens about the dangerous side effects of hookah smoking. In addition to educating their teens about avoiding hookah smoking, they should ask the latter to stay away from friends, shops and bars, etc. where hookah smoking is allowed. Parents can also form groups with other parents in the same neighborhood to keep a watch out for and close places that provide hookah supplies for teens.
Hookah smoking has been on the rise among teens for the past few years now. Contrary to widely held beliefs, hookah smoking is not safer than cigarette smoking and has the same –possibly even worse – effects as the latter.